.^^ 



<. "• 



<^ 



u 0- 









^^:-"^ 



x^^ ■^^..' 



<0c 












\y <p 



nV 






^^' -'^^ 



\^ ^^ 






^\^^ ^ /'^y>" ' "'■^^ ^^ -= ^ ' 



-^ "^ '■':?:. .-^'^ ^x 









■^^^ 



/^ * 



'■'.s- .<<^ 



^' 






^^%^ 

.^^ --X. 



>>-. ^^^ 




./. ,^v 



- t. 



■ ■ ' o*-* 



"^ yt> «■ ^Sv'. 



'% A^^ 



'^ ^^^ ^ 






%<. 




0^ .*^?ss^^-. ^ 


















I s^^ ■■''^- 



O 0' 









^"Is <■ 



^H^^-, 






X' * 






, ' -0- 



n\^ 






'''~^\''''''i'-^:%^ '/' \' ^'^"^ 



A'/ %<?• V% 



^ 









.^..#^* 



'^' <^^. ■-/^\f^^ 



* -0 








^^\\^ ,,« 


•^,. '-■^■^ A^ 




-i.'-^ s^ 


^3 - cP^ 


'' ■"^.. 


^.-^'^ -■^^# 


•^'o 0^ =^' 






i-1 fi. 

ri- ; '-''-1-^ ^"' ^ ^- y -V>i- i, .- , ^ j, , 









<?■ 



'■^> ,xA^ 






,0o 



.0 






O 









^■■'^'^c 



<^ ,. * ^. 










iV^, 






V. ,^X 






-I'p 



A 



-<0' 



.H f. 



>0 o. 



. -^ AV 



^ /. 



\' ^ ^ "" 






.^J^^"^ 









'.^: 


x^^ •% 




^ v#^ % 


'/ O 


\' xx "I ' " / 






: ^^ •^^' 




-$ <> 




,-'5 "- 




0^' 




A- 






•^ '/ . 


%'^<^^''"\# 




'^.," ., . >. ^ v^- 



-^- 






,^^' ^ViMl''/^. 









O 







oo' 






■;> •% 


i" 


s>'" 


\v '' '■ " / 



\ ' -n^ 



^^ 



vOC-^ 



«5 %t 



^^'o 






■X^'' % 






aV^- ^:j 



Letter^ from tl]e Orient. 




HIGH CASTE LADY OF INDIA. 



(3) 



LHTTHl^i, 



FROM THE ORIENT 



TO 



h]er tSoiU^l^ter^ at h]om^. 



BY 

MRS, fl. W. WILSON. 



CHREFOliIiV IltUUSTRflTEO. 




SUN DA Y-SCHOOL DEPA R TMEN T. 

Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. 

J. D. Bakbee, Agent, Nasha'ille, Tenn. 

1890. 






Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1890, 

By the Book Agents of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 

in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



©ontent^. 



PAGE 

Introduction 7 

Letter I. 
Across the Continent — Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake City, 
San Francisco 9 

Letter II. 
On tiie Pacific — A Pleasant Voyage 16 

Letter III. 
In Japan — Yokohama, Tokio, and Nikko 19 

Letter IV. 
The Mission Work and Workers in Japan 35 

Letter V. 
First Trip on the Inland Sea — The Missouri Layman's 
School 49 

Letter VI. 
Missionary and Native Life in Hiroshima 56 

Letter VII. 

Other Pleasant Excursions in Japan 70 

Letter VIII. 
Studying the Peculiarities of the Japs -. 79 

Letter IX. 
Leaving Japan — From Kobe to Shanghai 90 

Letter X. 
The China Mission Conference — Glancing Over the Field. . . 93 

Letter XL 
A Tour of the Canals — The Interior Mission Stations — In- 
teresting Observations Among the People 103 

(5) 



6 Contents. 

Letter XII. page 

Again Over Lake and Canal — The Interior Journejings 

Ended 1 24 

Letter XIII. 
The Mission Schools in Shanghai — Their Good Management 

—In the Homes of the Natives 1 29 

Letter XIV. 
Superstitions, Crimes, and Beggary of the Chinese — Some of 

Their Fashions and Punishments 147 

Letter XV. 

The Voyage to India — Sights on Sea and Land 170 

Letter XVI. 
Hindoo Women — Their Zenana Life — Prisoners from the 

Cradle to the Grave— Notable Sights 188 

Letter XVII. 
In the Land of the Pharaohs — Cairo and Its Thousand At- 
tractions 208 

Letter XVIH. 
A Short Stay in Rome — The Ancient Ruins and Modern 

Grandeur of the Eternal City 221 

Letter XIX, 
From Rome to Paris — Splendors and Miseries of the French 
Capital 230 

Letter XX. 
Across the Channel — Taking in the Wonders of London, the 
World's Greatest City 239 

Letter XXI. 
End of the Journey — From Liverpool to New York. ....... 253 



Introduction. 



THIS little book was not in the thought of the 
author when she left her home for the far 
East. The impaired health of her husband made 
the presence and service of his wife necessary to 
his comfort; and therefore, with sadness and some 
misgivings, she commended her daughters to God, 
bade them farewell, devoted herself to wifely 
offices, and drew consolation from the thought of 
oft writing to the loved ones left in the care of the 
heavenly Father. 

Mrs. Wilson looked upon Japan, China, India, 
and other lands with a woman's eye and with a 
woman's sympathetic heart. Being in full accord 
with her husband in his labor of love, she stood by 
his side as he surveyed the fields, made her own 
observations, noted some facts which might not 
have arrested the Bishop's attention, and, while 
the inspiration was fresh upon her, recorded what 
she saw, felt, and longed for, in these familiar let- 
ters addressed to her children. 

Mrs. Wilson brought to her pleasant task a 

(7) 



8 Introduction. 

practiced pen. The weekly press has already 
made the Church familiar with her easy, unlabored 
style and with her graphic pictures of life and 
manners. It will therefore surprise no one to 
learn that judicious friends have requested the 
publication of the letters in a more permanent 
form. 

TWse letters will give to a majority of readers a 
more satisfactory view of Oriental life, of the needs 
of the heathen world, and of the character of mis- 
sionary service than could be gained from more 
pretentious volumes; and it is safe to expect, as 
results of them, more of the missionary conscience 
in the Church, more prayer for the perishing, and 
a more correct judgment of those who, in separa- 
tion from kindred and from home, spend their 
strength in the attempt to raise those who have 
been cast down by idolatry and have lain for cent- 
uries beneath its mass of evil. 

These opinions are given after a careful reading 
of the letters, and it is believed that they will be 
confirmed by those who shall read them in their 
present form. Samuel Rodgers. 

Baltimore, Md. 



bettefs ffom {\iq ©rienf. 

LETTER I. 

ACROSS THE CONTINENT— KANSAS CITY, DENVER, SALT LAKE 
CITY, SAN FRANCISCO. 

San Francisco, July 29, 1888. 

IT was no light thing to leave you for such a jour- 
ney as we have undertaken, and for so long a 
time. The uncertainties of the separation crowd 
into my thoughts — not to the exclusion of faith 
and hope, but overtopping the pleasant anticipa- 
tions which you exhorted me to cherish. Being 
sure that it is right for me to go, I do not expect 
to look through dimmed eyes all the way; indeed, 
already the skies are brightening, because our 
"Mizpah" stands above the clouds. How happy 
we should be that this beacon is ours in common, 
the Lord surely watching between us while we are 
absent one from the other ! no more with us than 
with you — you at home as privileged as we who 
are about his business in distant climes, and we 
no nearer to him because our journeying may 
take us into his very presence ; for he is alike near 

(9) 



10 Letters from the Orient. 

his children whether they labor on earth or rest 
in heaven. 

We had not gone a day's journey when a 
"washout" on the Marietta and Cincinnati Rail- 
road delayed our train for several hours. "No 
breakfast" caused very lugubrious faces in our 
car: however, about lo a.m. there was a visible 
brightening of the hungry crowd on finding that a 
little farm-house on the top of a hill near by could 
furnish a meager supply. What mattered it to the 
famishing that the amount of water for dish-wash- 
ing was scant? Eighteen hours of fasting, with 
the prospect of several more ahead, was sufficient 
to remove from us all fastidiousness. We took 
our turn, and I must add that these rations were 
commensurate with the price, neither the one nor 
the other being beyond our capacity. 

A delightful stay of thirty-six hours in Kansas 
City with Mr. and Mrs. Witten McDonald was a 
pleasant break in railroad travel. The delay on 
the route deprived us of the pleasure of looking 
over the city by daylight. We were partially 
compensated by a drive in the moonlight, bright 
enough to let us see how wonderfully this young 
city has grown into long lines of streets adorned 
on either side with attractive residences set in the 
midst of parks and gardens, restful to the eye and 



Aa'oss the Continent. ll 

suggestive, as all earthly good should be, of better 
things. The next day — the Lord's-day — we wor- 
shiped morning and night at Walnut Street Church. 
Your father preached, and, I dare to say it, gave 
us an honest gospel. Monday morning we re- 
sumed our journey, leaving behind blessing and 
prayer for our hosts, and bearing with us, I doubt 
not, their best wishes. 

Six hours' delay in Denver gave us opportunity 
to look through the city. Mr. Brinker and Mr. 
Rhodes, friends of your father — long time ago 
from Winchester, Virginia; for these many years 
settled in Denver, and devoted advocates of its 
interests — showed us kindness. It is a great city, 
beginning where many of our Eastern cities have 
ended, and in its public and private buildings and 
municipal arrangements showing how grandly 
Western energy expends itself. 

As you know, I was never before so far west: 
so far, it seemed to me, that I was disposed to sing, 
"Beyond the sunset's radiant glow." But the 
glow still keeps ahead, and I suppose we shall not 
overtake it until we pass to where there shall be 
no sun. 

At Denver we were five thousand two hundred 
feet above sea-level. Our continued travel was 
down-hill, till at Salt Lake City our elevation was 



12 Letters from the Orient. 

less by twelve hundred feet. Here also we drove 
out, visiting the Temple and Tabernacle, climbed 
the lofty hill that gives the best view of the city 
and surrounding plain, as far as to the great Salt 
Lake; besides, we saw the houses where dwelt 
the many wives and children of Brigham Young, 
the chief apostle of Mormonism, as well as other 
handsome residences along the broad, well-shaded 
and well-watered streets. The Temple, if ever 
finished, will be magnificent: it is said the sound 
of a hammer has not been heard in the building. 
The Tabernacle, where ten thousand Mormons as- 
semble every Sunday, is not surpassed in the world 
in seating capacity nor in acoustic properties. I 
pray God that some day the everlasting gospel may 
be preached in this great building of the Mormons. 
Do you know the beginning of this city? Orig- 
inally the Mormons lived in Illinois, and were 
driven from that State by a mob of outraged peo- 
ple. They were allowed to convert their property 
into cash, and, taking their wives and children, 
started west to find a new home. On and on they 
traveled to a land they knew not. July 24, 1847, 
they came through a defile of the mountain on the 
east side of what is now Salt Lake City. I won- 
der not, when they passed over and saw this beau- 
tiful valley, they went no farther. Here they 



Across the Continent. 13 

settled, and by the strong hand and organizing skill 
of Brigham Young established the corrupt system 
which has extended widely and beconie a festering 
sore upon the fair face of our prosperous West. 

From thence we journeyed on without event till 
our arrival at San Francisco, the goal of westward 
travel and point of departure for "the East by way 
of the West." It is worthy of more notice than 
the urgency of our movements allows me to give. 
It had its rise, you know, in the greed of gold that 
burst into a volcanic passion forty years ago, and 
drove thousands of men of all classes across the 
plains, through weariness and want, danger and 
death, to seek their fortunes in the newly discov- 
ered mines of California. Then hardly more than 
a miner's camp, or at best a depot of supplies for 
the adventurers, it has now grown to be a mighty 
city, with world-wide commercial connections, with 
broad streets, lined by great warehouses or adorned 
by princely homes and thronged by eager, busy 
multitudes, with every token of vast wealth and 
tireless enterprise — and a reputation for great 
wickedness second to that of no other city on this 
continent. I do not know if this witness be true. 
Unhappily, wherever great masses of our race con.- 
gregate the inward corruption breaks out in hid- 
eous sores. San Francisco is, I suspect, neither 



14 Letters from the Orient. 

better nor worse than other cities. There is sure- 
ly a righteous seed in it — men and women who 
fear God and work righteousness. There are 
churches and Sunday-schools, and earnest, honest 
preachers of the word, and benevolent institutions, 
and all the products of a living Christianity. If 
there seems to be an undue proportion of reckless- 
ness and godlessness in this desperate strife for 
wealth, we still dare hope — nay, we dare not doubt 
— that Christ will one day be supreme Lord here 
also, and assert himself by driving the money- 
changers out of every temple claimed as his 
Father's. 

We went over the city, climbing its steep hills 
in the cable-cars, standing on the bluffs overlook- 
ing the beautiful bay, strolling through the public 
gardens, gazing from the "Cliff" out upon the 
broad ocean over whose uncertain waters we will 
soon venture, and passing in the midst of throngs 
that pressed their way along the lines of trade. 
Everywhere is something to interest — of God's 
work or man's, or both — and everywhere some- 
thing to give note of the difference between the 
life so suddenly developed in this new land and the 
more staid and decorous life that has come up by 
orderly growth on our side of the continent. 

We went to church on Sunday where Dr. Han- 



AcrQSS the Continent. 15 

non is pastor. Those who have once known him 
never forget him. Pure, loving, patient, unique, 
energetic, he does his work hopefully amidst dis- 
couragements, but sustained by the earnest prayers 
of our faithful band, as well as by the word of 
God. He was glad to have a visitor from across 
the continent to stand in his place on Sunday. 

The hour draws near when we will sail from our 
native shores. The blessing of the Lord be yours ! 
Once again I remind you that his blessing is bet- 
ter than life. Better that you have him, with all 
that his presence gives, than to have all the world 
without his loving-kindness. 



LETTER II. 

ON THE PACIFIC— A PLEASANT VOYAGE. 
Steamer " Belgic," Pacific Ocean, August lo, 1888. 

WE sailed from busy, bustling San Francisco 
July 31st. One from the East, whom you 
know, was among our friends at the wharf to bid 
us ^'■Bon voyage. ^^ She came with a handful of 
roses and tender words, which perhaps we appre- 
ciated the more because of all the years that stand 
between us, she being as near the threshold of life 
as we are leaning toward its close. She did not 
know that after the good-by we stood at our ' ' port ' ' 
watching her as she looked on the busy crowd. 
"The Lord make his face to shine" upon her! 

Hundreds of Chinese were there, scattering their 
prayers to the gods of the winds and waters in be- 
half of friends about to return to China. These 
were recorded upon squares of yellow paper, and 
according to expectations were to be conveyed to 
their destination by the spirits that wait upon the 
■powers. 

August 14. 
I have been writing to M. from day to day 
since we sailed through the Golden Gate, so that 
(16) 



On the Pacijic Ocean. 17 

you will hear from her the particulars of hour 
after hour. To most persons life on the sea is 
monotonous ; to me it is delightful beyond my 
power of expression. The unquiet waters, the 
blue skies, the pure atmosphere, the roll and pitch 
of the steamer, the movements of the sailors, the 
sea-gulls which follow us, our books, the social 
environment and domestic pleasures, have given 
me abundant thought and employment, so that I do 
not suffer from ennui; and as in addition I have 
had no seasickness, I must say the Pacific has 
been an unending pleasure. We have had two 
sweet little visitors. We wonder how they came. 
Two tiny brown birds have been flying fore and 
aft for a few days. We suppose they must have 
been about the rigging all the time, or perhaps in 
the steerage. They do not seem frightened. Per- 
haps they will be so pleased with the "Belgic" as 
to make her a permanent residence ; or may be 
they are traveled birds that have but the Japanese 
songs to learn in order to know all the languages 
under the sun. 

I am almost disappointed over our quiet voyage. 
I had desired to see the ocean in a storm. Perhaps 
five minutes of a dangerous sea would suffice me, 
for I am not more courageous than others ; but the 
feeling of safety under the shadow of the Almighty 



18 Letters from the Orient. 

is so rooted in me that though I might tremble be- 
fore the angry waves I think I would feel secure. 
We had been spared the trial of an alarm, and 
though our steps have often been unsteady on ac- 
count of the swell, we have not been required to 
omit our promenade or leave our chairs on the 

deck unoccupied. 

August i6. 

To-morrow we will see land, God willing. I am 
not in haste to leave the waters, which have dealt 
so kindly with us. Perhaps the exhilaration of 
these delicious days will quiet down, and we shall 
have renewed strength whose outcome, by the 
grace of our Lord Jesus, shall be a new inspiration 
for work. 

Bishop and Mrs. Fowler, of the M. E. Church, 
have been fellow-passengers on the "Belgic," and 
very agreeable friends we have found them. The 
Bishop bears the same message to the East that 
your father does. However much we differ as to 
plans at home, we are agreed that the millions of 
unsaved heathen must have the gospel at the hands 
of Christian people, or sink to perdition. 




(19) 



CITY AND BAY OF YOKOHAMA. 



LETTER III. 

IN JAPAN— YOKOHAMA, TOKIO, AND NIKKO. 

Yokohama, Japan, August 29, 1S8S. 

AFTER a shining seventeen days across the 
Pacific, the "Belgic" anchored a mile from 
Yokohama, in its beautiful bay. We arrived with 
flying colors — the colors of the Occidental and 
Oriental Company — the British flag and our ov^n 
"Stars and Stripes." In a few minutes a hun 
dred "sampans" had been paddled out to us, and 
for more than an hour I looked on the most curi- 
ous of panoramas. Perhaps two hundred or more 
men, without clothing, clamoring in an unknown 
tongue for passengers, fighting for place, and even 
in some cases the quicker throwing his antagonist 
overboard, kept my eyes busy lest I should lose 
some exciting event. We thought one fellow, 
whose vigorous adversary threw him into the sea, 
would not be able to make his way up through the 
boats. However, he succeeded, and was so indus- 
trious that his opponent was soon sputtering in the 
water. 

In due time we and our luggage were stowed in 
a sampan and soon stood on terra jirma. Then 

(19) 



20 Letters from the Orient. 

followed a ride in a jinrikisha drawn by a coolie 
who trots as well as a horse. Our way was along 
the Bund, where are foreign residences, ware- 
houses, and hotels. On one side was the broad 
ocean whence we had come, the bay dotted with 
stately steamers, hundreds of fishing sails, and 
sampans innumerable ; while on the other side was 
the city. As our coolie trotted on we came in sight 
of the high bluff, whose beautiful groves are owned 
by foreigners. Missionaries of the various Boards 
occupy some of these sites, which I heard spoken 
of as a reproach — the idea being that they should 
be satisfied with cheaper locations. I afterward 
inquired into this assertion of extravagance, and 
found that these lots for missionary homes were 
bought long ago for less money than undesirable 
places now bring. 

The day after our arrival in Yokohama we 
undertook an expedition to Daibutsee, the great 
bronze image of Buddha at Kamakura. Bishop 
and Mrs. Fowler and several members of the Ja- 
pan Conference, M. E. Church, including a native 
preacher, took the train with us at an early hour 
for Fujisawa. There we found an ample supply 
of jinrikishas, in which we were borne at a good 
pace to Kamakura. Two years ago, when your 
father first visited this region, he and Mrs. Denny 




THE IMAGE OF BUDDHA. 



yapauese Cities and Towns . 21 

made this entire trip from Yokohama, about eight- 
een miles, in jinrikishas. Since then the railroad 
has been built lo a point within easy reach of the 
old town. It is now but a small place of six thou- 
sand population. It was formerly, and for centu- 
ries, the home of the rulers of Japan, and in that 
day of its power numbered over two hundred thou- 
sand people. It lies near the coast, and from the 
hills above, with the groves surrounding large old 
temples and picturesque native houses, presents a 
very attractive appearance. Here is the immense 
copper-bronze figure, Daibutsee, seated, as he is 
most frequently represented, in a lotus-flower. 
The image is fifty-four feet in height, and weighs 
four hundred and fifty tons. His head is strangely 
ornamented with snails of bronze, in memory of 
the day when hundreds of them crawled the entire 
length of Buddha in order to shield his head from 
the midday sun. In the interior of the image is a 
temple with shrines, incense-burners sending out 
clouds of smoke, and various idols in the locality 
where his brains should be. Around about him in 
the beautiful grounds are scores of exquisite lotus- 
flowers, whose loveliness springs from out the mud. 
I could not but compare the marsh where they 
grew to the heart of Japan, full of evil thoughts 
more hideous than the weeds of any neglected soil. 



22 Letters from the Orient. 

A new element — the seed — enters the mire, and, 
touched by Nature's God, the most beautiful blos- 
som puts forth. So the heart of man, putrid with 
sin, receives the word of truth, accepts the blood 
of Jesus, and puts on new life. 

On our return trip we stopped for dinner at a 
Japanese inn. We wCre shown into a large, cool 
room in the second story, the sight of which rested 
us. Some of us drank unnumbered cups of tea, 
and partook of various dishes to a very satisfying 
extent. The omelet was interspersed with onions 
and scraps of fish; an uneatable pickle graced the 
table, together with sliced green pears and un- 
cooked beans. The whole was supplemented by 
the attentions of a pretty, sweet-voiced maiden, 
who labored in vain to perfect us in the use of 
chopsticks. 

We had an exciting scene at Fujisawa with our 
jinrikisha coolies. They took it into their heads 
that the native preacher who accompanied us was 
our paid guide, and tried to compel him to divide 
profits with them. The contention became very 
sharp, and led to violence — in short, a fight ensued. 
Our native friend was only rescued when "the 
brethren" entered the field. I may say I was on 
the outer edge of a fight; a little longer, and 
I might have done as Mrs. S. did — ^viz., have 




(23) 



yapaiiese Cities and Towns. 23 

pinched the arm of one of the combatants on the 
other side. 

I suppose you are familiar with the word "jin- 
rikisha," the little carriage drawn by a man — or, 
as it has been facetiously called, the "Pull-man- 
car." I shrunk at first, never having seen a man 
used as a beast of burden. Of course all over 
America the industrious poor toil from early morn 
till late in the day. The large plantations, im- 
mense factories, and great railroad interests could 
not otherwise be worked. The coolies are trained 
to this labor, and want nothing better: they are 
cheerful, ready and anxious for a job, and look 
upon a horse as an innovation. It is their means 
of livelihood, and to take it from them would be a 
grievance. 

August 20 we went to Tokio, the imperial resi- 
dence, whose population is almost a million. Here 
is the Biblical School of the M. E. Mission. Our 
Board accepted the offer of a chair in this institu- 
tion, and sent out Rev. J. C. C. Newton, of the 
Baltimore Conference, to fill it. Professor New- 
ton arrived three months ago, and at once began 
the work which already fills his heart and brain. 
We found Mrs. Newton in the first agonies of the 
Japanese language, not being able to make known 
her wants to her cook except by pantomime. I 



24 Letters from the Orient. 

do not see how one directs the kitchen, which is 
the hub of the household, by signs only. Mrs. 
Newton does it with the hope, however, that soon 
she "W^ill be mistress of the situation. Think of 
fhe feeling of helplessness if you stand in the pres- 
ence of an unknown tongue, not knowing how to 
bargain for a chair, a plate, or the marketing — hav- 
ing no idea how to begin to train a Japanese serv- 
ant in American ways, nor knowing the value of a 
single piece of money. Our friends in Tokio will 
not succumb to these difficulties. We had been with 
them a few days when we left for a visit to Nikko, 
the most beautiful town in Japan. The Japanese 
say, "Do not talk of beauty until you have seen 
Nikko." It is the surrounding country, rather 
than the town, that is so picturesque. 

Leaving the cars at Utsunomya, we took jin- 
rikishas for the remaining twenty-two miles, and 
started off with good speed upon the delightful 
drive. We had gone about six miles when our 
men set us down and entered upon a conversation 
with us, not a word of which we understood. A 
passing missionary informed us that they refused 
to finish the journey, suggesting that they meant to 
demand more pay than the bargain required. Of 
course our helplessness compelled us to raise their 
wages, and we made another start. Very soon 



ya^aneie Cities and Towns. 25 

rain set in, and when darkness came I was afraid; 
for what resources had we among a people whose 
tongue was unknown to us, if they pleased \^ be 
treacherous? I fell back on a scripture which was 
my refuge thirty years ago when I was a young 
wife. We were living high up in the mountains of 
Virginia, out of sight of any house. The work of 
my young preacher every second week took him 
across the mountains for two or three days. Of 
course I could not wish him to neglect his obliga- 
tions for any small thing. I did very well during 
his absence till Sunday night came, when my faith- 
ful man, John, who was a devoted Methodist, went 
off *'at early candle-light" to meet the people of 
the Lord. My baby and a little negro of ten years 
were then my only companions, and I was afraid; 
but I found a text which met the emergency: 
"What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee." 
With that heavenly help, no wonder I was secure 
those long years ago — no wonder I was safe last 
week in the heart of a heathen land. We arrived at 
our destination soon after ii p.m., having been near- 
ly eight hours on a journey of twenty-two miles. 

Nikko, or " Sun's Splendor," is beautiful for sit- 
uation. She sits among the hills, a river rushing 
through the town over the rocks, while smaller 
streams come from the mountains in several direc- 



26 Letters from the Orient. 

tions. There are no foreign houses ; consequently 
all summer visitors occupy Japanese houses, which 
are *^ery pretty. The sides of these cottages are 
open during the day, the sliding panels being re- 
moved, thus disclosing verandas which encircle 
the house. A second set of panels then appears, 
made up of small squares of rice-paper set in lat- 
tice-work. At the season of our visit all the pan- 
els were open, leaving but little except the roof 
and floors. The Japanese consider it very untidy 
to enter their homes wearing the shoes that have 
trodden the streets. They leave their sandals at 
the door and go about the house with bare feet. 
Foreigners provide slippers in exchange for the 
street shoe, which must not be worn inside. Of 
course this custom is troublesome, but, like the laws 
of the Medes and Persians, it changes not. The 
first thing that greeted us when we went to prayer- 
meeting in the house of a Presbyterian missionary 
in Nikko was twenty-five or thirty pairs of shoes 
on the outside of the door, where ours soon fell 
into line. 

Something of sanctity attaches to this city, for 
here are scores of temples for which millions of 
money have been spent. The devotion of this 
nation in the past to its worship might well cause 
us to hide our faces. I noticed that no devotee 



Ja^ane'se Cities and Toivns. 27 

entered upon his prayers till he first cast into the 
treasury his offering, and also that mothers had their 
children of two and three years, and older, by their 
sides. As the mother prayed the little one was 
taught the attitude of prayer. They say Japan is 
growing indifferent to her old beliefs. If so, what 
must have been her devotion in the years gone by ! 
No shoe touches the sacred floors of the temples. 
Perhaps the idea of purity m coming to their wor- 
ship is in their thoughts when they lay aside this 
sign of soil — the shoe that has rested upon the 
earth. What Christian will not pray that from 
this outward token of cleanliness the Japanese may 
grasp the truth that only ''the pure in heart shall 
see God? " 

The temples are very handsome, both in the out- 
side and inside decorations. I will leave to other 
pens the task of describing the rich carvings of the 
imperial chrysanthemum, the sacred lotus, bronze 
candelabra, golden lilies, gold-lacquered columns, 
the rich hangings, the incense-burners, tables, 
silken fringes, and the rich boxes containing the 
prayers of the saints. All these attract the eye, 
and cost the people in the centuries gone great 
self-denial. But what wonderful work does not? 
And if Japan lavished her best on Buddha, what 
shall zve render to our God, who ''so loved the 



28 Letters from the Orient. 

world that he gave his only-begotten Son" that we 
may have everlasting life ? 

The choice spots of Nikko are the locations of 
the temples. Nature was left undisturbed to do 
her best, though the artisan has been at work 
on mountain-side and ravine. From the stately 
cryptogamia to the tender blade of grass or tiny 
fern, nature was allowed to please the eye. The 
architect went on with his building, but left the 
hills and trees and moss and streams to grow and 
run. We went to the highest point of the temple- 
grounds to visit the tomb of one of the Shoguns, 
up three hundred steps of granite stair-way with 
its moss-covered balustrade of the same rock. 
The resting-place of the dead ruler was a great 
mausoleum ornamented with finely wrought bronze 
figures of the crane and tortoise, both emblematic 
of long life or immortality, and of the lotus, sacred 
to purity and perfection. Thus the nation ex- 
pressed the belief that the great man had passed 
into a perfect immortality. 

The return trip from Nikko was under difficul- 
ties. Our jinrikisha-men failed us, and we were 
compelled to look about for some other convey- 
ance. Our China friends, Mrs. Campbell, Miss 
Atkinson, and Miss Hamilton (who were gathering 
strength in Nikko), set themselves to help us in our 




AVENUE OP TREES, 



yafanese Cities and Towns. 29 

emergency, and sent us mules, for which we ren- 
dered them grateful thoughts, even though they 
came five minutes after y^^ mounted the "basha," 
an uncomfortable wagon. Our horses were worn 
out, and one soon fell from exhaustion. No sooner 
was a new team at work than the traces broke. 
Afterward our driver went to sleep, of which the 
horses took advantage and ''dragged their slow 
length along." These detentions caused us to lose 
our train : we barely arrived in time for the second, 
without a moment to spare. When we got to Ut- 
sonomya the driver and passengers began to share 
our spirit of haste, and seemed to have some pride 
about getting us to the station in time. Even our 
steeds caught the infection — the bony, jaded ani- 
mals actually galloped, being excited by the yells 
and stamping and cracking of the whip. The con- 
ductor of the train lent a helping hand. Seeing 
our struggle of vehement hurry, he stopped his car 
which had already moved an inch or two. 

Our ride, in spite of the rickety, crowded wagon, 
had been exhilarating — indeed, inspiring. We had 
come through the beautiful avenue of cryptogamice, 
of which travelers write with enthusiasm. On both 
sides of the road for eighteen miles were double 
rows of magnificent trees, in many places arching 
overhead and affording shade from the hot August 



30 Letters from the Orient. 

sun. The image of the shining rays through that 
rich foliage lingers in my memory. It is a right 
royal road — I know of none more lovely. 

We were soon in Tokio with Professor and 
Mrs. Newton. Dr. Walter Lambuth and Rev. 
Mr. Waters awaited our arrival. We spent a few 
days in attending the Conference of the M. E. 
Church, then in session in the city. We also vis- 
ited their buildings, and could not but hope that very 
soon our Board will be able to provide comfortable 
mission homes and school premises. I was moved 
with a not irreligious envy when I saw how com- 
fortable are their surroundings for the great work 
they do ; and believing we are called to the same, 
I look to a full equipment of our own Mission, that 
we too may have a share in turning this heathen 
multitude to serve the living God. We own no 
property in this land. We have a faithful band of 
men a:nd women, courageous and cheerful, know- 
ing the hinderances, but pressing on. There is no 
reason why we should not be abreast with the fore- 
most in the enterprises which will bring Japan to 
Christ. We have but to see and use our oppo-r- 
tunity in order to bear many sheaves into the pres- 
ence of the Lord of the harvest. 

Tokio is a spacious city. It extends between 
five and six miles from east to west, and about 



Japanese Cities and Towns. 31 

seven from north to south, at the upper end of the 
Bay of Yeddo. The city is not so closely built 
but that room is found within its bounds for sev- 
eral tea and mulberry plantations. In the center 
was the old castle of the Shoguns, which was de- 
stroyed by lire soon after the restoration of the 
Mikado, leaving only the moats and parts of the 
massive walls which encircled it. In the streets 
around the castle are the Government Buildings, 
the German and English Legations, the Engineer- 
ing College, and other modern buildings. Here 
are also two Shinto temples. Shintoism is the 
old national religion of Japan— a sort of nature- 
worship, with no God and no future life. There 
are many points of interest to the sight-seer — 
temples, palaces, gardens, and public buildings. 
Our time, and the special purpose of our coming, 
permitted but an imperfect glimpse of them. Two 
great and notable temples deserve a few words. 
The temple of Kwanon is approached by a broad 
way, lined on each side with toy-shops, tea-stands, 
wares of various kinds, and every thing to entice a 
purchaser. It was a bustling scene. Within, the 
temple was thronged with worshipers casting their 
coin into the treasury, paying their devotions at 
the main altar, or seeking the aid of the god of 
wealth, god of healing, or any other special idol 



32 Letters from the Orient. 

whose interposition they needed. The god of 
healing grants his favors to his own detriment. 
The patient rubs his hand over that part of the im- 
age which in his own body is the seat of disease ; 
the hand being charged with healing power, he 
no sooner rubs the suffering member than health 
is imparted. All the healing gods that I saw in 
Japan and China had been rubbed by the believing 
sick till they were almost faceless, headless, arm-^ 
less, footless. What depraved instinct induced 
the makers of these gods to set them before their 
worshipers as the very incarnation of ugliness? 
This temple has a praying machine or wheel. I 
did not see it at work. As it revolves the prayer 
is put in, and the proper answer returned. 

Another temple of great interest is that at Shiba 
— rather, it is a cluster of temples, set in the midst 
of a superb park, heavily shaded and adorned with 
innumerable granite and bronze lanterns peculiar 
to Japanese temples. These are among the most' 
celebrated of the thousands of temples of this 
country, and must have cost immense sums of 
money, with their lacquered floors, columns, ta- 
bles, gorgeous gilt and silk hangings and bronze- 
work adornincr altar and shrine. Nikko alone can 
compare with Shiba in the elaborate and costly 
carving and furniture of its temples. 



Japanese Cities and Tozvns. 33 

We took a little time to look through the shops, 
where there are so many pretty things, the Jap- 
anese being the most artistic of people. Yester- 
day we returned to this city, whence in a few hours 
we will sail for Kobe. We had a jinrikisha ride 
of two or three hours over the native city of Yoko- 
hama. The women are very sweet-looking, and 
their dress pretty: the skirts of the latter are too 
narrow for graceful walking, but as they stand the 
effect of coiffure and garments is attractive. A 
visit to one of the public gardens was interesting. 
I saw few flowers, but the trees and green plants 
were very flourishing, and trained into most gro- 
tesque shapes. 

We have looked through several magnificent 
establishments where are superb curios. The cloi- 
sonne ware is quite tempting. I admired a plaque 
whose decoration was a gorgeous rooster: price, 
fifty dollars. The same, except more elaborate, 
in embroidery was likewise very beautiful. Lac- 
quer cabinets inlaid with mother-of-pearl and ivory 
figures, worth from five hundred to five thousand 
dollars, are superb. All manner of bric-a-brac of 
various sizes and shapes charm the eye. I greatly 
admired a small ivory box representing a bag of 
wheat, into v/hich a dozen carved mice had found 
their way: the little fellows had eaten through, and 
3 



34 Letters from the Orient. 

were scrambling over and around each other in 
great confusion. Price, fifty dollars. 

We have spent several hours in writing for the 
mail of to-day. Au revoir. 



LETTER lY. 

THE MISSION WORK AND WORKERS IN JAPAN. 

Kobe, September 3, 1S88. 

WE left Yokohama August 29, arriving here 
thirty hours after, and were all the way on 
the edge of a typhoon. The sea was very rough. 
The steamer rolled and pitched — now up, now 
down, fore and aft, to the right and left — until I 
wondered if we should live to tell the story. I suf- 
fered from a touch of seasickness, which for a 
time made me very miserable ; but I recall with sat- 
isfaction the effort our steamer made to surmount 
the angry waves. Arriving in this harbor, the 
storm increased so that the captain would not vent- 
ture into shore. A sampan made its way out to 
us, and notwithstanding the heavy sea we scram- 
bled into the little boat. At every toss of the 
waves it looked as though we would be swallowed 
in the waters, and afterward I was told we were in 
actual danger. In due time we were with our 
friends, Dr. and Mrs. J. W. Lambuth. 

On Friday, August 31, the Annual Meeting con- 
vened. All the missionaries except Dr. and Mrs. 
Wainright were present; Drs. J. W. and W. R. 

(35) 



36 Letters from the Orient. 

Lambuth, Dr. O. A. Dukes (Texas Confer- 
ence), C. B. Moseley (Arkansas Conference), J. 
C. C. Newton and B. W. Waters (Baltimore Con- 
ference), N. W. Utley (Memphis Conference), 
and Miss Gaines, the only lady in an}^ field under 
appointment of the Parent Board. Dr. J. W. 
Lambuth has given, since his residence here, the 
largest room of his house (it has but four) for the 
use of the Mission. Here are held the Bible 
classes, day-schools, night-schools, the Sunday 
services, and all business meetings; and here the 
brethren were assembled in Annual Meeting, to- 
gether with Mrs. J. W. and Mrs. W. R. Lambuth, 
who are invited to give an account of their work 
which has been so valuable to the Mission. They 
are truly fellow-helpers in the gospel of Christ. 

After a half-hour of devotional exercises the ex- 
amination of the year's work and of the coming 
needs was begun. The report of Dr. J. W. 
Lambuth, oldest of the Mission and first in the 
field, w^as received with the interest and attention 
it deserved. His work has been chiefly in Kobe 
and the adjacent countr}^, although occasionally 
he goes off on a hundred or a hundred and fifty 
miles' itinerating trip. His labor has been fruit- 
ful of good — singularly so, considering that other 
missions were here, and that he has had to work 



Annual Meeting in Kobe. 37 

through interpreters. A good membership given 
to faithful labor, a general religious interest, col- 
lections for mission-work, church-building, and 
the poor, attest Brother Lambuth's fidelity and 
God's blessing. A token for good was recently- 
given him. A number have renounced their idols, 
and on last Sunday he baptized thirteen of these 
men and women. 

Mrs. Lambuth's report was of like interest. 
She has taught daily, first a school for ladies, com- 
prising Biblical, literary, and industrial training. 
Many, both married and unmarried, would have 
been pleased to come to her from a distance, but 
she had not room to receive them into her house. 
Her afternoons are given to a class of ladies and 
gentlemen — one of the latter being director of 
the commercial school — who study English; in 
this labor she often has opportunity to speak of 
her Bible. At night Dr. and Mrs. Lambuth have 
a school of gentlemen, who are eager to study the 
Scriptures. And fourth, a weekly Bible class in- 
terests her. I joined in the lesson of the present 
week, which was the account of the marriage at 
Cana of Galilee. The class was interested and 
interesting. 

Dr. Dukes made a characteristic report. His 
work has been systematic, planned and regulated 



38 Letters from the Orient. 

by day and hour. Osaka is his center and head- 
quarters, though his residence is temporarily in 
Kobe; and the stations on the railroad between 
these two cities are the appointments of his cir- 
cuit. Starting in the early morning, he stops at 
the first station, and for an hour teaches his Bible 
class; then to the second, where another hour is 
spent in like manner; and so on through the round 
— and this three or four times a week. Preaching 
through an interpreter, the same sermon goes the 
round of these classes. He smiled as he remarked 
during the further account that he was learning to 
do his best work on retreat, for it had been his 
poor fortune to receive, when he thought himself 
well posted, an order to leave — a Buddhist priest 
somewhere behind it. We own no property in 
Japan, and there was nothing to do but vacate. 

Mr. Utley and Dr. Wainright have so lately ar- 
rived that their reports are of course meager. 
The former wafi elected Secretary of the Annual 
Meeting, and the latter' s written statement showed 
that he had impressed at least one man. He was 
teaching parliamentary tactics, when a student rose 
and nominated himself president of the class. 

Prof. J. C. C. Newton, of the Biblical School at 
Tokio, reported his prospect good. He will have 
several theological students in his care next year. 



Annual Meeting in Kobe. 39 

Miss Gaines, sent out by the Board of Missions 
one year ago, has been with Mrs. Walter Lam- 
buth at Hiroshima, and is a practical woman with 
"willing heart" and busy hands. She and Mrs. 
Lambuth have a Sunday-school of two hundred in 
that city. The Superintendent being on the wing 
all the time, any work in Hiroshima has been the 
result of the labor of these two ladies. They ac- 
knowledge their indebtedness to their native helper, 
who has a heaven-born gift in the management of 
children. When he speaks every eye is turned 
on him, and the two hundred boys and girls sit 
upon their heels after the Japanese fashion until 
he releases them. Miss Gaines is engaged in 
day-schools, while Mrs, Lambuth has an industrial 
class. They both visit among the people, and at 
all times endeavor to show how Christian women 
should live, and that nothing is worth doing or 
having without God's blessing. They meet with 
difficulties, but are not cast down. Perhaps they 
return to the conflict with greater zeal after a strug- 
gle. The wife of the governor, a very strong 
woman and a determined Buddhist, opposes them 
on all sides. Finding their schools and Hterary 
societies very effective, she organized like work, 
in some cases requiring the members of our ladies' 
classes to join her. 



40 Letter's, from the Orient. 

Mrs. Wainright has begun teaching, though so 
lately arrived. Dr. Wainright is a Missouri lay- 
man whom God called to Japan : so sure was he 
that the "Come over and help us" was spoken to 
him that he and Mrs. Wainright are here at their 
own charges. The Board accepted him, but had 
not the money to send him and his wife. They 
came, and are supporting themselves by teaching 
in Government schools: they give every hour 
outside of this engagement to the service which 
brought them to Japan. 

Mr. Moseley has been in poor health during the 
entire year, hence his report was not extended. 
He had not succumbed to suffering, but was un- 
able to do all he had hoped. The battle is not al- 
ways to the strong. Mr. Waters has stood his 
year like a veteran : he has had no trial of sick- 
ness, but has worked steadily. He was in Oita 
until Dr. Wainright's arrival, and made a consid- 
erable impression. Several told him they would 
study "the new doctrine." O that these men 
may be not only " almost" but altogether persuad- 
ed to accept the one ho^e of the world ! One of 
them said to him: "I want to learn your religion, 
but not bad enough to give up some things." He 
does not know that he must be either_/i?r or against 
the Lord of life — that he cannot serve our God 



Annual Meetinsr in Kobe. 41 



"i> 



with divided heart. The governor of the ken had 
been so attentive and helpful in many v^ays that 
Mr. Waters thought he must offer him the hospi- 
tality of his domicile, even though it were a bach- 
elor household. His simple arrangements for the 
high official pleased me greatly. Notwithstanding 
his incomplete outfit and inexperienced servants, 
he gave his orders and entered upon his duties as 
host with as much pleasure as though a most ac- 
complished wife were smoothing all difficulties 
from his way. I doubt not that host and guest 
passed a happy hour. 

All the reports and discussions at the Annual 
Meeting were very interesting. Much of the work 
of the past two years has been made known to the 
Church by the stirring letters of our brethren from 
time to time, but neither they nor we can make vivid 
to you, as to us, the unrest of the people — perhaps 
I may say the yearning after the "Unknown God." 
They have sent time and again to our missionaries, 
asking for teachers and instruction, and turning 
away with disappointment when the answer comes, 
"No one to go." Hardly has a fairer field ever 
invited to missionary effort. Not only is the coun- 
try beautiful, but the disposition of the people is 
gentle and altogether favorable to intercourse with 
foreigners. All classes enter freely into friendly 



42 Letters from the Orient. 

association with our representatives. No obstruc- 
tion is placed in the way of Bible-teaching. True, 
the Bible is not in Government schools ; but it is 
well known that every Christian who has place 
there founds his religion on that Word, and that 
in his private intercourse with his students he tells 
but one story — the story of the Scriptures. Tak- 
ing all we heard during the Conference into con- 
sideration, together with the character of the na- 
tives, the facility of intercourse, and the history 
of our Mission during its short two years, we can- 
not but conclude that "the field is white to har- 
vest." To me it is remarkable that none of these 
men assembled in Kobe appear to be discouraged, 
although they see that they are unequal to the de- 
mand. "The laborers are few," but each man 
seems determined to do his utmost. Like the 
woman of old, they will hear a welcome voice, 
after awhile, saying, "They have done what they 
could." 

I attended the Missionary Anniversary, which 
was as enthusiastic as any I have known at home. 
The native Church took great delight in the occa- 
sion. The organization is for the furtherance of 
evangelistic work, and the arranging of plans for 
the expenses of the native itinerant, as well as for 
the students who are to be educated. Every for- 



Annual Meeting in Kobe. 43 

eign missionary needs his interpreter and helper, 
which he may now hope to find in the outcome of 
this society. The past year two Biblical students 
have been sent off to school, and six more will 
go at the beginning of the session. The entire 
expenses of these eight — tuition, board, and trav- 
eling — will be met by this self-sacrificing band 
during the four years of study necessary in prep- 
aration for their ministry. Is not this a wonderful 
outcome ? Not only that the native Church is thus 
devoted, but also that there are those who so look 
for the coming of the kingdom of our Lord that 
they are willing to give themselves to its further- 
ance. Not very long ago they "bowed down to 
wood and stone." Now some of them " count 
not their lives dear unto them" for the name of the 
Lord Jesus. Several have been driven from home 
and are outcasts. One came with lacerated back. 



A day or two has intervened since I wrote the 
above. The pressure for a man to go to one of 
the towns a hundred miles away, where there is a 
protracted call, induced the Superintendent to ask 
for a volunteer to hold the place till the Board is 
able to send out another missionary. He put it to 
the conscience of the Church, and called them to 
private prayer and faith, that God would move 



44 Letters fi'om the Orient. 

upon the heart of one able to do the required work. 
Two or perhaps three days passed, when one 
of the proposed students expressed his wilHng- 
ness to forego the Biblical School for the pres- 
ent, that he might begin at once to tell the story of 
the cross. 

Also, the Church Extension Society has done a 
noble work. During the last few months a suf- 
ficient sum has been raised to build the first M. E. 
Church, South, in Japan, which will be ready for 
dedication in a month's time, the cost being one 
thousand dollars. If the amount for furnishing is 
not in hand at completion, the congregation will 
go in Japanese fashion, sitting upon the floor. 
How God will speak by those seven young stu- 
dents in years to come ! And how often will he 
be in the midst of these four walls, to bless his 
people, to convince the unbeliever, and confound 
Buddhism and infidelity ! The glory of the Lord 
will fill his house ! It shall be called by the name 
of the one Ete7'nal God. 

I have been stirred as I sat with these peo- 
ple day after day. On one side are sweet-faced 
women, toil-worn women, young and old, who so 
lately had not heard the name of Jesus, with their 
hearts settled in the love of God. On the other 
side are young men who had expected position and 



Annual Meeting in Kobe. 45 

money and entire satisfaction in the faith of their 
fathers, or poor men who never hoped for any 
thing but hard work, now seated at the feet of Je- 
sus "clothed and in their right minds." One of 
these in daily attendance was making seventy- 
five dollars a month, but renounced it for pastoral 
work and twenty-five dollars — a successful man, 
exchanging the gains of secular life for the gains 
of godliness ! Another came to Dr. Lambuth, say- 
ing he had seen the worldly side of foreign life, 
but hearing there was another and better, he de- 
sired to be taught it. Another was summoned to 
the bedside of his father, extremely ill. He went, 
expecting to be excommunicated as soon as he 
should tell of the change in his faith and hope. He 
found father and mother making two daily sacri- 
fices at the domestic shrine, and when he told "the 
old, old story," they begged to be let alone, say- 
ing they "were too old to change." However, 
he continued to pray and persuade, and to-day 
the old people are Christians. One of the young 
women has lately been in an agony of prayer for 
her husband, and last Sunday he was among the 
baptized. 

Two families have joined us. Not very long 
ago Dr. Walter Lambuth's cook prayed for that 
poor Methodist Church that had only one member, 



46 Letters from the Orient. 

and not one woman. Now, we may thank Heaven 
for scores of members, and also that famihes are 
coming to us. Another, a lady who kept boarders, 
had in her house two brothers with their sister 
whom they treated unkindly. After a time a change 
took place in the behavior of the two men : they 
became gentle and affectionate to their sister. 
The lady wondered, and on inquiry found that 
they had been attending Dr. Lambuth's services, 
and had sought and obtained the grace of our 
Lord Jesus Christ. She decided that what had 
transformed them was worth having, and she too 
sat with us these last days. 

So the work grows. No wonder our brethren 
come together with hope and joy, notwithstanding 
the "many adversaries" that oppose their entrance 
into this "great and effectual door." It is not 
easy for you to imagine the untoward conditions 
of work here. The bitter prejudice of race and 
religion ; the wide-spread and deep-rooted immo- 
rality, personal and social, the result of long cycles 
of idolatry; the revival of Buddhism, its incorpo- 
ration of new methods of aggressive movement 
to enable it to check and suppress the growth of 
Christian thought and life ; the alliance with hea- 
thenism of the material philosophy of Europe and 
the recently imported unitarianism of America — 



Anmpal Meeting in Kobe. 47 

all these forces of evil require on the part of Chris- 
tian missionaries great watchfulness, patience, la- 
bor, and prayer. 

If our Board could organize a training-school 
for Bible-women at once, with a four years' course 
of the Bible, Evidences of Christianity, Life of 
Christ, biographical sketches of good men and 
women, sacred music, and some branches of in- 
dustrial work, there would from time to time be 
sent out devout native women to work among the 
mothers of Japan; and given the mothers, the 
children will soon be the Lord's. If we are to 
have a permanent footing, boarding-schools for 
both sexes must be established. Furthermore, no 
substitute for education will answer. The Gov- 
ernment schools furnish a good curriculum. We 
must offer the same advantages, with the addition 
of an open Bible. Christian education they must 
have, or the present generation will be confirmed 
in infidelity before they arrive at mature years. 
"Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, 
nozv is the day of salvation;" and in this last 
struggle with ignorance, vice, and infidelity, we 
need to exert all our powers. Much has been 
done, but much remains to be done. A great 
revolution is at hand; in the meantime, the dark- 
ness of hell begun on earth holds Japan. Con- 



48 Letters from the Orient. 

quered for our King, this lovely land will put on 
new beauty, these green hills will sing for joy. 

The Church has always had the extension of 
the kingdom of Christ at heart. She expects ev- 
ery man to let his light shine. Our Lord said, 
"Ye are the light of the world; " and Paul wrote, 
"Among whom ye shine as lights." It was meant 
that wherever the gospel was received, from thence 
the glad tidings should be sent on and on till the 
ends of the earth shall sing of redeeming love. 
And in order to have a part in this work our 
Church must not be satisfied with what she has al- 
ready accomplished. The generosity of yesterday 
will not suffice for to-day. The giving grace of 
last year must be continued and increased. God 
means us to be constantly giving, the proof being 
that new opportunities are constantly afforded. A 
fresh call requires a fresh gift 



LETTER Y. 

FIRST TRIP ON THE INLAND SEA— THE MISSOURI LAYMAN'S 
SCHOOL. 

OiTA, September 20, 18SS. 

WE left Kobe on the 13th for this city, which is 
on Kiushiu, next to the largest island in the 
empire. Our mode of traveling was on the "ko- 
joki," a small steamer used along the coast, and 
absolutely without comforts. Travelers provide 
bedding and lunch for themselves, finding water 
for morning ablutions as best they can. I expect- 
ed that the primitive style of pouring water from a 
dipper on my hands would be my only resort, and 
but for the kind provision of Dr. Lambuth so it 
would have been. There was no gangway. Our 
entrance was made by climbing through the ' ' port ' ' 
into a low passage-way where a person could not 
stand erect. The "first-class" cabin had been 
engaged for us, and, having heard of the discom- 
forts of the little steamers, I was greatly elated at 
the prospect of such pleasant provision. Imag- 
ine our surprise when we found this elegant ac- 
commodation to be a closet ten feet by five, so that 
when 3"our father and I, the two Drs. Lambuth, 
4 (49) 



50 Letters from the Orient. 

and our Japanese friend, Mr. Kinoshita, were set- 
tled for the night, our sachels had to be moved 
out, so that we zvoiild not be crowded! When 
I looked into the " second-class" cabin, through 
which we passed to reach our room, I was satis- 
fied. It was closely packed with thirty or forty 
men and women, as many as could find room on 
the floor — for in Japan there are neither chairs nor 
bedsteads. The "second-class" cabin is general- 
ly the best room on the boat. Our missionaries 
go back and forth on the Inland Sea, glad if there 
is space enough for them to lie down in those 
crowded quarters. When we went aboard it was 
time to retire, and having spread our blankets we 
laid ourselves down and slept reasonably well. 
The next day was perfect. The water was with- 
out ripple, the sunshine delightful, and the air soft 
as in May. There was no space for promenade, 
so your father read, the Drs. Lambuth studied 
Japanese with Mr. Kinoshita, and I found some 
sewing very entertaining. Whatever we did, a 
crowd gathered about us. My light hair and eyes 
were very surprising to those who had never been 
in the port cities. They examined my dress, took 
my sewing out of my hands, passing it round for 
inspection, and seemed greatly amused at the num- 
ber of buttons I used. 



Fii'st Tri^ on the Inland Sea. 51 

Another night, and at dayhght we landed at 
Oita. After a jinrikisha ride of two miles, we 
were with Dr. and Mrs. Wainright, a young lay- 
man and his wife from Missouri. They begin the 
day at six o'clock by a public prayer-meeting. 
We were scarcely at home with them when the 
Doctor invited us to this early service, where we 
found an assembh'^ of about forty. An hour was 
occupied in singing, conversation, and prayer. 
Then came breakfast and family prayer, where a 
half-dozen Japanese, with Bible in hand, joined 
Dr. Wainright in the Scripture lesson. 

Immediately after this service their school-work 
begins; and it continues until three p.m., save an 
hour's intermission at noon. At four p.m., and 
again at seven o'clock, large classes assembled to 
study the Bible. Last night I counted fifty pres- 
ent. It must be that of this number there shall in 
the future be some who will bear the "good ti- 
dings" to their countrymen, and at the end have 
an " abundant entrance " into "the city which hath 
foundations." 

Mrs. Wainright' s cook has begun to study the 
Scriptures. He tried the Book of Revelation 
first, and having no knowledge of what went be- 
fore, you will not be surprised that he went to the 
Doctor with fifteen questions : the wonder is that 



52 Letters from the Orient. 

he had not a hundred explanations to seek, and 
indeed I suspect this would have been the outcome 
had not our friend changed the order. The same 
man practiced praying because he liked the look 
of it and wanted to join us, having no idea that 
pra3"er is the outpouring of the soul before God. 

One of the young men in daily attendance upon 
the Bible study will devote himself to the ministry, 
and will be sent by the membership in Oita to the 
school in Tokio. His call to preach came out of 
severe trial and persecution. He came here to the 
Government School, and providentially came un- 
der the influence of our friend, and very soon 
under the influence of the Holy Ghost. He re- 
cently returned to his father's house. A relative 
had just died, and the family, about to make the 
ancestral offerings, demanded that he join in the 
worship. This he refused to do. The father had 
him taken to the grave by force, otherwise treated 
him brutally, and excommunicated him from the 
household. He is forbidden to call himself a son. 
Then, in that hour of sorrow, he resolved to spend 
his life in telling the story of the one living God. 

When we go on the street we are always fol- 
lowed by a crowd. Mrs. Wainright and I are the 
only foreign ladies that hundreds of the people 
here and in neighboring villages ever saw. Men, 



First Tri^ on the Inland Sea. 53 

women, and children run after our jinrikishas to 
catch a gHmpse of our faces. Monsters that we 
are, now and then the babies are frightened and 
scamper away screaming for protection. 

After being in Oita several days, I find myself 
greatly interested in the gentlemen who visit Dr. 
Wainright. They are men who have been well 
educated, and are quite equal to many of the 
A.B.'s and A.M.'s of the United States of Amer- 
ica. Evidently they enjoy the society of our Mis- 
souri layman, who does not think that at this time 
the}^ have any desire for "spiritual gifts." I ex- 
pect this almost daily intercourse will prepare their 
minds so that the Holy Ghost can take hold of their 
hearts and make them fit temples for his indwell- 
ing. There are others, especially those who are 
regularly at the Bible classes, who impress me; 
notably a young girl of perhaps fourteen years of 
age — whose mother sold her for a period of two 
years, and whose bondage is now ended — who 
comes to the Scripture study regularly. O that 
she, like that other woman eighteen hundred years 
ago, may hear the Master's voice of forgiveness, 
with the " Go, and sin no more ! " 

Mrs. Wainright and I to-day called on a beautiful 
little lady, the wife of one of the Doctor's visit- 
ors. He speaks English, and was our interpreter. 



54 Letters from the Orient. 

She is not more than eighteen years of age, 
and is as pretty as a picture. Her shining, soft 
eyes, clear complexion, fine hair, and gentle ex- 
pression were very attractive. She wore the blue 
robe of her race, confined at the waist, and was 
barefooted, as is the fashion with Japanese ladies 
when in their homes. She had her great year-old 
boy brought in for our admiration, and handsome 
as he was I admired her so much that I fear I 
looked less at him than she expected. Of course 
tea was served, and with it smoke-dried persim- 
mons, which were very nice. I suppose she 
thought women are "the same all the world 
over: " accordingly she brought in embroidered 
silk robes worn by her grandmother at court fifty 
years ago. We admired them to her satisfaction, 
for they were very elegant. I doubt if I get 
through Japan and China without breaking the 
tenth commandment. 

We expect to leave to-night at t^velve o'clock, 
for Hiroshima. Our parting will be with regret. 
Dr. and Mrs. Wainright are both young, and are 
the only foreigners within many scores of miles. 
I am beginning to see what it is to be alone in the 
midst of a heathen population. More anon. 

P. S.— November, 1888. 
I must add a sequel paragraph. Letters from Oita 



First Trif on the Inland Sea, 55 

from Dr. Wainright give me several interesting 
items. First, the father of the young man who 
was excluded from the family because he refused 
to join in the ancestral worship sent a younger 
son, who had been a bad boy, to Oita to school. 
He afterward wrote to the Doctor " that for fifteen 
years he had worked night and day over the boy 
without influencing him," and asked the new 
teacher "how he had made a good boy out of him 
in three months." He said he could not under- 
stand it; nor will he till he himself is transformed 
by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

Also, a mother is attending the Bible classes be- 
cause she wants to learn about the God who has 
changed her son. Is it not so that the change in 
one will be the beginning of a work in the family 
which will not soon end? Also, the cook who 
promised to "become Christianity," and who 
practiced praying, is now an earnest Christian 
worker. And one of the gentlemen of whom I 
spoke is a believer in our God, though he has 
'not yet had the courage to make a public confes- 
sion. When the Doctor spoke of the boldness of 
Dionysius, the Areopagite, he listened with intense 
interest, and said, "I wish I were like him!" 
Will not God give him the grace of firmness? 
Amen, and amen ! 



LETTER. YI. 

MISSIONARY AND NATIVE LIFE IN HIROSHIMA. 

Hiroshima, September 30, iSSS. 

LEAVING Oita, we were two days and nights 
in the kojoki on the way to Hiroshima, where 
the family of the Superintendent lives — his own 
head-quarters being "in the saddle." Our kojoki 
had not improved since the former trip, being still 
a small space crowded to the utmost. There were 
seventeen young ladies on board, on their way to 
school. I wonder how it will be with them. Will 
they hear of Him who gave himself for them? 
University men, who mostly take on the German 
methods of thought, will have charge of them. 
Perhaps they will be told that what we call sin is 
"bad form," which educated and refined people 
avoid; or, maybe, they will be directly indoctri- 
nated with the vile immorality of the day. Every 
missionary in this field longs to have a part in the 
training of these young people. Seeing their de- 
termination to be educated, and knowing the dan- 
gers that threaten them, these devoted men, to- 
gether with Miss Gaines, desire the equipment 
needful to the prosecution of this work. The zcay 
(56) 



Life in Hiroshima. 57 

that seems open is the way through the schools. 
Christian education is the handmaid of the pulpit. 
Mothers and wives being the Lord's, the world 
will soon be his. Woman has the energy to in- 
fluence and the tenderness to hold the position in 
the family and society which gives her the oppor- 
tunity to see and embrace the best influences. At 
the Annual Meeting in Kobe it was shown that in 
three places our work during the past year was 
held by converted Japanese women for several 
months. They need at this time a little help from 
their sisters on the American side of the waters, in 
order to begin a work whose end shall not come 
till " the heavens shall be rolled together as a 
scrofl." 

Our missionaries in Japan have given themselves 
to this people, and spend a large percentage of 
their salaries in adding to the appropriations of 
the Board. Miss Gaines, last year, paid the rent 
of her school-room. She will do it again. [No- 
vember I, 1889. — Since writing the foregoing I 
have heard that Miss Gaines, Dr. Lambuth, and 
Mr. Waters put together what funds they could 
command in order to secure a building-lot. Miss 
Gaines stands pledged for the remainder.] All 
of our representatives in this empire are in earnest, 
as well as those in Hiroshima. Who will help to 



58 Letters from the Orient. 

hold up these hands, which may grow "heavy" 
unless they be "stayed?" As Moses's hands 
were " steady until the going down of the sun" 
while Aaron and Hur held them, so that Amalek 
was discomfited, our friends will prevail against 
Satan if the Church "stand on the top of the 
hill" calling on the name of the Lord. But I 
doubt if the Church stands on the top of the hill 
that refuses an abundant offering to such calls of 
the Lord God. 

Notwithstanding our poor accommodations on 
the kojoki, the journey was full of interest; for 
our way was through the Inland Sea, bounded on 
both sides by green hill-tops, and along whose 
coast I could well believe the Garden of Eden was 
located, if beauty alone decided that chosen spot. 
The channel winds in and out, around island after 
island, each one prettier than the last, or sharply 
turns at the mountain-side where terrace on terrace 
of rice-fields rise to the summit. In every little 
cove nestles a village, while in every bay float a 
dozen junks. I am sure if I could paint these 
emerald islands that rival " Green Erin," and these 
blue waters, our people would covet this entire re- 
gion, with its hungering thousands, for Christ. 
To girdle this sea would be an achievement worthy 
of our best effort. When we took root in this soil 



L.ife in Hiroshhna. 59 

there was but one missionary and two or three na- 
tive helpers on all the inland coast. We are here 
with the prospect of great success. True the out- 
posts are scarcely manned, but all are so devoted 
and enthusiastic that with that help which is prom- 
ised to them who go upon this warfare there can 
be no failure. Girded, with staff in hand, each 
man is preparing to move forward as opportunity 
opens before him. Alert and determined, failure 
seems impossible to these men of God. 

Our stay in Hiroshima has been very delightful. 
The Church-members met us at Dr. Lambuth's a 
few afternoons ago. We sat upon the floor, Jap- 
anese fashion ; and although we could not join in 
the conversation, we enjoyed the hour. Mrs. 
Lambuth retained a chair for your father, whose 
habits of sitting were too confirmed to be inter- 
rupted. Tea and sugar-cakes were served. The 
guests brought a fold of paper in their belts, to be 
used as a wrapper for the cakes which were taken 
home. Etiquette requires a guest to drink the tea, 
but more solid refreshment may be placed in the 
pocket: indeed, whatever is left the hostess must 
send after her friends. It was touching that these 
people, who lately had not heard of the Lord God, 
now lind their joy in hitn whose love was taught me 
in my childhood ten thousand miles away. 



GO Letters from the Orient. 

The next afternoon we attended a "high tea." 
This was a very ceremonious occasion. Ladies 
only (except your father and Dr. Lambuth) were 
present, and were attired in fine silks and crepes. 
All shoes being left at the door, you will know 
how curious these pretty dresses appeared when 
finished off by bare feet. However, our friends 
were so entirely unconscious of any incongruity 
that I very soon forgot it. Each guest on arriving 
threw herself on her knees and touched the floor 
with her forehead, first to salute her hostess, and 
then the other ladies present. By the time fifty 
had assembled, I had come to think these oft- 
repeated salaams quite pretty. It was an undertak- 
ing to seat the company, for each one remained at 
the door, upon the floor, through many persuasions 
to enter. No lady will acknowledge herself worth}/- 
of so great a compliment as a place in the presence 
of her hostess: she accepts it only on finding that 
her refusal creates considerable embarrassment; 
and as she proceeds a few inches at a time to 
the spot designated, it requires both energy and 
patience to seat a large number of guests. At 
list, the company being located, the arrangement 
of the flowers was the next observance. After 
request upon request, and as many modest refus- 
als, a lady finally consented to dress the vase; 



^n 




Life in Hiroshima. 61 

and in solemn silence, and with many profound 
salutations after the aforesaid sort, the angular bou- 
quet was set before us. The event of the afternoon 
was the making and drinking the tea, the intrica- 
cies of which I cannot describe. The process was 
inexplicable. The elaborate brewing being com- 
pleted, there was no one who would assume or be 
persuaded to take the first cup — till the wife of the 
chief -justice, who had the precedence, desired 
three young ladies to drink for the company. 
This is the only time I ever witnessed a tea-drink- 
ing by proxy. The three went to the center of 
the room, where the aforementioned genuflections 
were repeated and the tea and little cakes accept- 
ed. The latter were laid aside for home con- 
sumption, while the tea was turned about, raised 
to the forehead, again shaken and twirled, and at 
length swallowed. It was a difficult operation, for 
the reason that on these punctilious occasions the 
tea is a mush rather than an infusion; and the 
rules of decorum require that not a leaf be left in 
the cup. You perceive, then, that the whirling of 
the cup before and during the process is a neces- 
sity. 

Music followed (if such monotonous minor sounds 
can be called music), both vocal and upon stringed 
instruments, while the remainder of the company 



62 Letters from the Orient. 

had tea. I failed to give mine the proper graceful 
movement, at which I detected the ghost of a smile 
on several faces; while your father caught the 
precise motion, and was greatly admired. In ad- 
dition, shocking to relate, I left a few tea-leaves 
in my cup, while he was quick enough to dispose 
of his. There are persons who do what they 
undertake. 

Jinrikishas w^ere announced at dark. I noticed 
that the guests paid for their jinrikishas in coming 
to the entertainment, but the hostess was at the ex- 
pense of returning her friends to their homes. At 
least fifty pairs of shoes were put upon the feet 
where they belonged, no one by mistake don- 
ning her neighbor's; and so a pleasant afternoon 
ended. 

Yet another invitation was sent us in Hiroshima 
— an invitation to a feast where we were seated on 
the floor for three hours, while course after course 
was set before us, a list of which may interest 
you: (i) tea and confections; (2) fish-head soup, 
pounded fish in a mold, 3^ams, omelet, preserved 
orange-skin shredded; (3) raw fish, horse-radish, 
shredded turnips, red sea-weed, grated cucumber- 
rind; (4) the "honorable fish," two preparations 
of beans molded in exact imitation of pine-burrs, 
one green, one brown; (5) lobster and mush- 



Life in Hiroshi'ma. 63 

rooms; (6) a soup of eggs, fish, mushrooms, 
chickens, and chestnuts: this was the only warm 
dish — other soups were cold; (7) fish and sea- 
V\'eed; (8) pickled rice in fish-skin. 

It was fortunate that etiquette did not require me 
to do more than barely look at these dishes. It 
was agreeable to have the feast sent to Dr. Lam- 
buth's house, where we could dispense to those 
who enjoyed this st3de of culinary art. I must ac- 
knowledgfe that these viands would not have been 
recognized by me, if Mrs. Lambuth had not aided 
me in the investigation. The china and lacquer 
bowls and trays were very handsome. The music 
was indescribable — excruciating. 

Dr. Walter Lambuth and Mr. Waters live in 
Japanese houses; indeed, there are no other 
houses in Hiroshima, except those lately built by 
the Board of the Presbyterian Church. Japanese 
houses are very pretty, and in summer comfort- 
able, but must be cold in winter. The sides be- 
ing removed as well as the inner panels, of course 
the breeze is enjoyed; and if the sun becomes un- 
pleasant, the slides are readily returned to their 
places. Mr. Waters is quite at home in his little 
cottage. He bought a "tea-set" yesterday, like 
mine, and is much interested in housekeeping. I 
wrote you how he entertained the governor at din- 



64 Letters fi'om the Orient. 

ner, with an inexperienced cook in the kitchen, 
and only such things in the larder as an inland 
town afforded, with all the hospitable intent that 
could be expected if he were the happy possessor 
of a capable wife to smooth the difficulties. 

Yesterday we went shopping, and were ourselves 
such curios that not less than a hundred followed 
us, even entering the shops and filling the fronts, 
so that we had neither light nor air. I purchased 
a piece of shalli-green, with remarkable cranes 
stalking up and down. A Japanese gown will be 
the outcome. Some cotton goods which I bought 
was damaged. Mrs. Lambuth's "helper" made a 
rice-paste, and, matching all the figures, has glued 
the patches into place, so that it looks as well as 
though it had not needed repairs. The silks and 
embroideries are very beautiful, but do not please 
me more than my dress surprises the Japs. This 
morning I wondered why a crowd was so curious 
about my face : I did not think it an unusual sight. 
I discovered afterward that they did not under- 
stand the "invisible veil" which I wore, and 
thought it possible that "the net grew there." 

In our walks we see curiously dwarfed trees 
that must have required experienced florists in 
their management. They are often grotesque in 
shape, and even after years of training I suppose 



Life in Hiroshima. 65 

still need considerable skill to prevent them from 
taking the natural shape. We also see intricate 
labyrinths of stone — rocks strangely thrown to- 
gether, the way winding through them, now up, 
now down, stair-ways across, in and out, till my 
head whirls with the complications. 

The passport system is very troublesome in Ja- 
pan. Any one can reside or visit at the treaty 
ports; but in order to go to the cities on the In- 
land Sea, or in the interior of the empire, a pass- 
port from the department at Tokio must be ob- 
tained. All of our missionaries (except those at 
Kobe), their wives and children, must have a "per- 
mit" to live here or to remove from one place to 
another. When the time expires at the end of the 
year, every foreigner with his household must 
pack up and go to a "treaty port," and there re- 
main till the "red tape" is straightened. The 
time cannot be anticipated, no application for a 
new one being considered till the old passport has 
expired. In this way our brethren are sometimes 
kept from their work for a month ; but I hear the 
time is never wasted — they find something to do. 

Of course you know there is no Sabbath here. 
Last Sunday the hammer and saw in a shop near 
by were kept going; market-houses were open, and 
men, women, and children pursued the same avo- 



Q6 Letters from the Orient. 

cations as on any other day. I went to Japanese 
preaching, also to Sunday-schooL Mr. Waters 
made his first missionary collection in the school, 
and received one dollar and forty-three cents. This 
is to be done monthly, and the proceeds to be used 
for the expenses of the students sent to the school 
at Tokio. A generous gift from our converted hea- 
then children ! A year ago they knew no god but 
Buddha; now they are learning of Him who said, 
"Suffer the little children to come unto me." 
These pagan boys and girls were as surely meant 
as those in the Southern Methodist Church of mj' 
home-land. It was not an American child that 
Jesus took in his arms that day in Galilee when he 
talked of the kingdom of heaven. It was a He 
brew, and as he pressed the little one to his heart 
he thought of all those who were to live in the 
ages to come. He loved all alike, and asks the 
children who serve him to remember those who 
have the same right to his blessing, and yet who 
never heard of his love. If Paul and Peter had 
gone east from Jerusalem, teaching and preach- 
ing toward China and Japan, these people might 
have heard the word gladly, while to-day our beau- 
tiful continent might have been bound by "error's 
chain." 

The Japanese are very anxious to learn the En- 



Life in Hiroshima. 67 

glish language. I doubt not that this is one of 
God's plans to open the way for the gospel. How 
easy it would be for any of us to tell the story of 
Jesus if we could be understood ! At present two, 
three, four, five years are spent in studying these 
hieroglyphics, with their meaning and sound, be- 
fore a man can with ease preach in the tongue of 
his hearers. Besides, the time now given to the 
language could then be given to the one work 
which the missionary loves. Do you remember 
that your first reading-lesson was the story of Eli- 
jah, from the Bible itself? It was as easy to 
learn those words from the Holy Book as a lesson 
in the primer would have been. So our mis- 
sionaries, in teaching English to these heathen, 
constantly use the Bible ; and while many of them 
are intent upon the new language, they are, with- 
out knowing it, learning the foundation on which 
the way to heaven is built — just as my little girls 
learned a lesson of fidelity from Elijah's history 
while they solved the mystery of words. 

Our teachers in the Government schools require 
exercises in ''composition" as a part of the En- 
glish training. I give you a sample or two of their 
work. Of course bo3^s and girls of fifteen or six- 
teen could do better in their own language : while 
their manner of expressing themselves in ours is 



68 Letters from the Orient. 

amusing sometimes, yet I look on these examples 
as tolerably good — better than mine would be if 
I attempted Japanese. Here is one on Spring* 
"The Spring has come. The birds and other ani- 
mals are singing, and the colts in the meadow 
kicking spiritually." Another on Summer: "On 
the most longest day in the year, the sun rises on 
the five o'clock, and sets down on the seven in the 
evening." Another on The Country: "In the 
country all the pupils are inhabited by little houses 
and the sunshines are lighter than the moon- 
shines." 

Dr. Wainright's cook employed an extra boy on 
one occasion and told Mrs. Wainright, "The boy 
would not work, so I gave him great anger, and he 
obeyed suddenly" — poor English, but conveying 
his meaning. 

We will take the kojoki again in a few hours — 
its discomforts in great contrast with the luxurious 
entertainment recently at a Japanese inn where we 
were taken up a shining stair-way, no shoe being 
allowed to mar its beauty. Our rooms were per- 
fect after their way. Pretty paper slides bounded 
the sides. The universal tea-set of beautiful china 
was set in the corner. When the hour for sleep 
arrived light blue silk-wadded mats were spread 
upon the floor, with coverings of the same. Our 



Life in Hiroshima. G9 

own pillows are part of our traveling parapherna- 
lia. Our rest was regal. We slept as became 
comfortably padded mortals. 

We are amused at our dislike of the kojoki. 
It is so admirably arranged for the discomfort of 
its passengers that by this time it should be a joke 
to us who are well. 



LETTER YIL 

OTHER PLEASANT EXCURSIONS IN JAPAN. 

Kobe, October 2, 1888. 

WE had a pleasant trip back to Kobe. The 
sunshine and the breeze were delightful. 
The two children, David and Mary, were with us. 
They assisted materially in all we did. The inex- 
plicable dishes, of Japanese cooking, are quite eat- 
able to these little ones : I noticed that when the 
"boy of all work" brought us his incomprehensi- 
ble vegetable compounds they enjoyed tasting, and 
would probably have eaten heartily if their father 
had not enjoined caution. David did me a good 
turn in the night. When we retired for sleep we 
found the seat that was placed around the cabin 
walls vacant. David and I gathered our shawls 
and pillows, and made ourselves comfortable on 
this bench. A man on the floor also liked the 
place, and arranged for his night's sleep, crowding 
us considerably; but the little boy dreamed, and 
kicked so vigorously that in a short time the space 
the man occupied was vacated. 

Do you realize how lately Japan and China 
were closed to all the world? Commodore Perry, 
(70) 



Other- Pleasant Excursions. 71 

of the United States Navy, demanded that Japan 
open her ports for intercourse with his country, 
and, after some months of diplomatic negotiation, 
a treaty was signed in March, 1854, which opened 
two ports to Americans. It was not till some years 
after that the great powers obtained the genuine 
good-will of the Government. A hatred of for- 
eigners threatened to destroy all relations. 

Nearly three hundred years ago the Jesuits were 
here in great numbers, but were ejected, and the 
edicts against Christians were not revoked till 1876. 
We sat at home, thinking but little of this pagan 
world, while Perry and the diplomats started the 
wedge which was to open the empire to the Bible 
and the preaching of the cross. God did not for- 
get! Slowly the doors swung open. The Church 
prayed, "Thy kingdom come ! " God is answer- 
ing. His kingdom is established in Japan, and 
seems about to possess the land. Do we not ask 
him to stay his hand by our feeble answer to his 
call for men, women, and money? Rather, shall 
we not shout back, *' Thy servants hear and see — 
let thy kingdom come?" And when the still 
small voice speaks here and there, "Get thee out 
of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from 
thy father's house, unto a land that I will show 
thee," may there be from far and near the re- 



.72 Letters from the Orient. 

sponse, "Here am I, send me." And when to 
some others the word comes, "Every beast of 
the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand 
hills," "return me that which is mine own," 
"freely ye have received, freely give," God help 
our rich men to sing with all their hearts: 

" Were the whole realm of nature mine, 
That were a present far too small: 
Love so amazing, so divine, 

Demands my love, my life, my all." 

Among our poor may there be many who shall 
give generously, happ}^ if they may expect to hear 
their Master say, "They did what they could." 

The voice of Japan, as she calls, "Come over, 
and help us," is the voice of God. We are able 
"to possess the land," but we must "go up." 
We can overcome the ' ' strong cities ' ' and ' ' the 
giants," because he that is for us is greater than 
all who be against us. The pillar of cloud and 
of fire will lead the way, if we march "onward 
as to war." This land of "milk and honey" shall 
be ours unless Christian people fail to meet their 
obligations. A richer harvest awaits us than Ca- 
naan's "grapes and pomegranates and figs." God 
does not prosper our fair South that she may lavish 
her gold upon herself. He gives, and expects a 
faithful stewardship. 



Other- Pleasant Excii7'sions. 73 

We went to Arima upon the mountain-top a few 
days ago. We tried a new method of locomotion, 
the *'cong-o" (I give the pronunciation — not the 
spelling), which is a litter "shorter than a man can 
stretch himself in" carried on the shoulders of 
coolies. Your father and Dr. Lambuth made stir- 
rups at the sides in order to rest their feet — I made 
them in front for my comfort. As we went up the 
mountain-road our men were occasionally near 
enough to the edge of a precipice to make one a 
trifle tremulous. I was reminded of the traveler 
who was proud of his horse because, when he 
stumbled on the brink of an abyss, he was able to 
recover foot-hold. His friend replied : "Mine did 
far better, for he was so sure-footed that he carried 
me over the dangerous places without tripping." 

The way was very beautiful. Myriads of gay 
flowers were to be seen in the paths, under the 
trees and among the grass. Bright geraniums 
and oleanders growing wild in profusion — mag- 
nificent hydrangeas, that at home we cultivate with 
such care — sweet-brier, morning-glories, daisies, 
and many other familiar blossoms lined the hedges. 
Above us the heavens were blue, and away in 
the distance we saw the bay with its many sails. 
Our "bearers" were very cheerful, though it must 
have been toilsome work. They talked and 



74 Letters from the Orient. 

laughed while trotting along as though they were 
off on a holiday. Sometimes they intoned a 
rhythmical chorus, in which, though there was no 
music, the time was perfect with the pit-a-pat of 
their footsteps. 

The rain poured in torrents during the entire 
visit to Arima. We could not enjoy the town, but 
we saw the basket-work, which is the prettiest in 
the world. The sulphur baths of the place are 
noted, and would have been enjoyed but that the 
responsible person would not run off the contents 
of the tank to give me fresh water. Their baths 
are renewed once a day, and, though a hundred 
persons bathe, the same water is used until the 
next day. In vain I insisted that our custom in 
America was a new supply of water for each per- 
son. I suppose his idea was that in Japan one 
must do as the Japanese. In Kobe I had been 
more fortunate. After considerable expostulation 
and determination, Mrs. Walter Lambuth succeed- 
ed several times in obtaining a fresh bath for me. 

Our visit to Kioto was interesting. Here are 
great potteries, where we watched the process of 
making the beautiful china-ware, from the time the 
workman holds the clay till a handsomely decorat- 
ed piece of bric-a-brac work was ready for sale. 
We were so fortunate as to stumble upon the artist 



Other- Pleasant Excursions. 75 

who was preparing the embroidered hangings for 
the new palace at Tokio. A gorgeous peacock 
strutted across a long canopy as though he were a 
living bird; the bark of the trees was so like bark 
that I could scarcely believe it to be embroidery : 
the lotus-flowers seemed to be growing. All ap- 
peared real. 

We went through the old palace of the Mikado, 
where he spends about a month in the year. The 
severe simplicity is in great contrast with our fine 
residences. The hundreds of sliding panels sep- 
arating the scores of rooms are rich paintings 
three and four hundred years old — of course all 
after Japanese patterns, which are very different 
from our ideal painting. It is remarkable how 
these gilded and tinted papers have stood the wear 
and tear of centuries. The carvings and brass- 
work of one of the gate-ways are very handsome. 

Kioto is the seat of a Buddhist college, com- 
plete in all respects except that it lacks the teach- 
ing without which all learning is vain. Several 
hundred students are here at work. The Bible is 
in the library, because they want every thing that 
helps to make Western civilization. Cannot, will 
not God use his word to convince men who to-day 
scarcely expect to find the way of eternal life in 
that Book of books? 



76 Letters from the Orient. 

I mention another point of interest — the Bud- 
dhist temple now building. The old temple was 
burned to the ground many years ago, and at once 
a fund was started for rebuilding. An old priest 
caught the fire from the altar from the perpetually 
burning lamp, so that when the new temple is fin- 
ished the incense and altar will be lighted from that 
continuous fire which was not extinguished. The 
new carvings of storks, the lotus, chrysanthemums, 
and other favorite figures are very beautiful. What 
interested us most were the great cables of hair, 
the gift of the women of Japan. These were used 
for lifting the heavy timbers into position in the roof 
and other places. We calculated from the figures 
attached to the hair that there were nearly six tons. 
I have forgotten the number of feet of cable as 
thick as that of the largest steamers : the amount 
seemed almost past belief. The women have giv- 
en what was of most value to them, their hair be- 
ing their chief treasure. Of course my mind re- 
verted to the building of the Tabernacle, almost 
four thousand years ago. Then the women were 
"willing-hearted," bringing "bracelets, and ear- 
rings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold." 
They did "spin with their hands" the "blue, and 
purple, and scarlet, and fine linen" which they of- 
fered before the Lord. They were "wise heart- 




(77) 



A PKIEST AT SERVICE. 



Other- Pleasant Excursions. 77 

ed;" while these women of Japan in their igno- 
rance sacrilice to the temple of Buddha their chief 
beauty. The women in all ages have been devot- 
ed. Surely we of the South will not hesitate to 
rescue these perishing devotees. Let us tell them 
they are not their own, but were bought with a 
price, and have the right of fellowship with God 
in Christ Jesus. How shall we appear with confi- 
dence before our Lord at his coming if we refuse 
to obey his last command ? He opens our way be- 
fore us, smoothing out the difficulties which fifty 
years ago looked insurmountable. 

The leaven spreads. A janitor of the imperial 
palace in Kioto told Dr. Lambuth when we were 
there a few days ago that he is reading the Bible. 
Another said: "There must be something in your 
religion, for I see your people are different: they 
are not the same men they used to be." Another, 
who had been reading the fifth of Matthew, said 
in my hearing: "I can understand how one who 
is pure in heart could see God, but how can I with 
an impure heart see him? I want to see him, but 
I cannot make my heart pure." A prominent 
merchant in Kobe fell into conversation with Dr. 
J. W. Lambuth, which the latter followed up un- 
til the merchant has become a constant reader of 
the Bible. He often comes for instruction, and 



78 Letters from the Orient, 

there is good hope that he will soon find "the 
way, the truth, the life." 

Returning from a short jaunt yesterday, we met 
Dr. Dukes on his way to one of his outposts. He 
had found a " silver lining" to his last cloud. He 
had not seen where a new teaching-place could be 
found when a recent ejectment occurred. Provi- 
dentially, a man of social position, who is study- 
ing English with Dr. Dukes, said to him, when he 
heard of the situation: "I will give you a house 
for as long a time as you desire, and charge no 
rent for the first year." 



LETTER YIII. 

STUDYING THE PECULIARITES OF THE JAPS. 

Kobe, October, iS88. 

THE annals of Japan reach back almost twenty- 
five hundred years. The present Mikado is 
in a direct line from the founder of the dynasty 
whose history began nearly one thousand years be- 
fore Christ. His titles, "King of Heaven" and 
"Son of Heaven," came down to him all through 
these centuries, so that if he has grown to regard 
himself as such it need not be matter of surprise. 
Rein, a German historian, records the sagacity of 
more than one of the early rulers. Even the wom- 
en were noted. One empress conducted a suc- 
cessful expedition against Corea, and managed 
national affairs creditably during her regency, 
while her son was a minor. And concerning the 
devotion of another, it is said that she threw her- 
self into the sea, a sacrifice to Neptune, in order 
to secure for her husband a successful voyage. 

While some of the Mikados sought their own 
aggrandizement, there were others who, self-for- 
getful, looked only to the well-being of their peo- 
ple. At paesent a strange unrest pervades all 

(79) 



80 Letters from the Orient. 

classes. The Emperor, court officials, the schools, 
the people, are unsatisfied. They are asking for 
Western civilization. God is stirring the heart of 
Japan. Civilization will not meet their want. The 
gospel only is for the healing of the nations. 

Things pleasing and curious meet us at every 
turn. In America our building is ended where the 
Japanese begin — that is, they construct the roof 
first. An intricate scaffolding is erected, upon 
which they begin at the top and work down. They 
reverse almost all our mechanical processes — they 
pull the plane and saw toward them, while the 
drawing-knife they push away. Even the cats are 
different, being without tails. 

Babies are antiquated-looking. If dressed, they 
wear exactly the same cut of garment that their 
grandmothers wore a hundred years ago. They 
are taken out strapped to the mother's or little sis- 
ter's back, where they laugh and coo, grow weary, 
squirm, and cry, till, worn out, the tired head falls 
back, and sleep comes with the poor little face up- 
turned to the blazing sun. Sometimes the young 
nurse joins in a game of top-spinning, or " Puss 
wants a corner," or "Where's the ring?" while 
the baby's head is left "bobbing" up and down 
as though it were on a hinge working toward 
all points of the compass. A fine fellow, whose 



Peculiarities of the Japs. 81 

back was as broad as that of the sister upon whom 
he was strapped, allowed me to amuse him for ten 
minutes the other day. Foreign baby-talk and a 
person so peculiar-looking as myself diverted him 
until he forgot his grievance. A barber was equal- 
ly amazed to-day. I wondered if the customer 
knew the peril he escaped while the tonsorial art- 
ist gazed at the strange lady. 

At night, in the native parts of the cities, the 
shops display their wares on the ground in the 
middle of the street, lighting with torches and lan- 
terns. Whether the sales are sufficient for the out- 
lay of strength, convenience, and expense I have 
not heard. Jinrikishas drive through, and no one 
moves out of anybody's way, which reminds me 
of a dance we witnessed a few evenings ago. It 
was raining and very dark, about lO p.m., as we 
passed through a village some miles distant. A 
most unmusical drum beat out of time, and as we 
drew near we found an assembly of perhaps fifty 
dancing in the road, with one torch-light. Our- 
"rikishas" passed through, and none were dis- 
concerted. 

Funeral processions are striking. I watched 
one yesterday. Six immense bunches of gay-col- 
ored flowers, as tall as the men who carried them, 
came first. Then followed the coffin, borne on the 
6 



82 Letters from the Orient. 

shoulders of four. This was an ornamented box, 
very short, and about as wide and high as it was 
long, the remains being placed in a sitting posture. 
The friends followed. 

The coiffure of a Japanese lady is a wonderful 
superstructure. The hair is very black, and kept 
smooth by the abundant use of oil. I am told the 
hair-dresser is universally employed, very few per- 
sons being able to construct the puffs, rolls, and 
twists of a well-regulated head. For economy's 
sake only the rich undergo the process oftener than 
once a week. The pomatum keeps the hair in 
reasonable order, especially as they sleep on a 
wooden rest, which is hollowed out in shape and 
size to fit. Tortoise-shell, silver, and other pins 
are used for decoration. The heads of the chil- 
dren are shaved in circles and rectangles; some- 
times the scalp is shaved, leaving only a lock on 
each temple which may grow as long as it will. 

Married women blacken their teeth and look 
hideous. It is said to have been required by the 
husbands of long ago in order to prevent any ad- 
miration of their wives. The Empress discour- 
ages this fashion. It has been growing into dis- 
use, and will soon be forgotten. 

Hot baths are in daily use. The family tub is 
filled with water, up in the nineties. First the fa- 



Peculiarities of the yci^s. 83 

ther bathes, then the sons; next the mother, then 
the daughters, and last the servants — all in the 
same water. 

As soon as a guest arrives, whether in private 
or public house, tea is handed, and the "hibachi" 
placed convenient for lighting the pipe. The 
hibachi is a wooden, porcelain, or bronze bowl, 
lined with clay and filled with ashes on which char- 
coal is kept burning. In cold weather it is the 
heating apparatus, and at all seasons is ready for 
use. During our wanderings in Japan we have 
boiled our kettle for coffee and tea on the hibachi 
— a necessary adjunct to our itinerant restaurant, 
and found on every kojoki and in every inn and 
hut in the country. 

In all the homes one room is used as a domestic 
altar: before the sacred shrine are performed the 
devotions of the household. The Buddhist works 
out his salvation by following the prescribed code 
of morals ; the Shintoist by his sacrifices to Kami — 
all go through some religious form, and are satisfied. 

In no particular do I see such difference between 
Christian and heathen life as in the position which 
my own sex holds. Christianity only has placed 
woman in an exalted place. She owes her all to 
the coming of the Lord Jesus. In heathen lands 
she is the slave of her husband. In Japan she re- 



84 Letters from the Orient. 

ceives more consideration than in other pagan 
countries ; but even here she stands till her lord is 
served, and does not eat noj indulge herself in any- 
way till he is ready to dispense with her services. 
She must always be cheerful lest he grow weary, 
and be very fruitful of expedients for amusing him. 
Even a bride at her wedding-feast must stand be- 
hind her spouse till his meal is concluded. He may 
divorce her if she talks much, if she is often on the 
street, or if she is disobedient to him or his mother. 
His satisfaction is in himself, his wife being his 
servant. How different in a Christian land ! The 
Christian husband knows, by the love of the Sav- 
iour of the world, how to love his wife till self- 
sacrifice becomes a joy. She is his earthly ideal. 
What other "rights" does woman desire? As 
Jesus drew all men to him, she was raised, to her 
lofty height, and without fear looks into her hus- 
band's face, knov/ing that, next to her God, he is 
her strength. 

I saw a Satsuma bowl of exquisite coloring a 
day or two ago. I wish I might transport it to 
you. Its measure was but a pint, and its price 
fifty dollars. It was very beautiful. As you know, 
the admiration of Satsuma is world-wide. I am 
so little of a connoisseur as to prefer the new to 
the old, as also I think the new lacquer-work more 



Peculiarities of the Ja^s. 85 

lovely than the old, though the latter far outlasts 
the other. 

Time and space fail me before I have told you 
the half. Multum infarvo. I was "the party of 
the second part" in a fight, was thrown from my 
jinrikisha with violence, have had a scare, was lost 
for an hour, have been entertained in Japanese 
fashion both comfortably and uncomfortably, have 
practiced pantomime with an expert when I failed 
to make myself otherwise understood, have been 
on short rations, have seen things more beautiful 
than I can describe, and, better than all, have had 
the privilege of joining the people of God in the 
worship of the Most High. 

We will sail for China in a few hours. 

P. S. — November, 18S9. 

Such advance has been made in our work in 
Japan during the past year that I must remind 
the Church that new help — men, women, and 
money — must be given, or we will be obliged 
to retreat. Our first native preacher has been 
licensed — Mr. Yoshioka, a devoted young Chris- 
tian. He is the man who gave three hundred 
dollars to the Kobe Church. He received a pen- 
sion of nine hundred dollars from the Govern- 
ment, six hundred of which he gave to his mother, 
and the remaining three hundred was used to clear 



86 Letters from the Orient. 

all indebtedness from the new house in Kobe, fin- 
ished and dedicated one year ago. 

The Japanese are so willing to help themselves 
that surely the home Church will not fail to supply 
their need, The call is to men and women both, 
that they shall go and send. Those who cannot 
go must see that the money is forth-coming, on 
which the work so much depends. A large pro- 
portion of the work must be done by women. 
They can go where men cannot, can do what men 
cannot, can say what men cannot. Their sphere 
in the homes of Japan, and in all the East, is im- 
mensely broad and practically unrestricted. Wom- 
en have comparatively no opposition from any 
quarter, save the prejudice which must be combat- 
ed in every heathen mind. 

Even the children may join the men and women 
in helping to save this people. The dew upon the 
grass is distilled drop by drop, and though it soon 
vanishes, it does its work. The separate contri- 
butions of the boys and girls may not seem as 
great as the refreshment a drop of dew gives a 
blade of grass, but in the day of reckoning the 
accumulated treasures of small sacrifices will be 
counted to have performed grander things than 
keeping the "robe of green upon" the earth ! And 
how happy the ver}^ young of to-day will be when 



Peculiarities of the yaps. 87 

3'-outh has vanished, to remember they did the 
work committed to them in childhood ! 

Not long ago Canon Taylor declared foreign 
missions to be a failure. He forgot that in Japan 
it was once death to profess Christ, and that the 
proclamation to that effect, which was shown to 
your father two years ago, has been a dead letter 
for some years, and that missionaries are pressing 
into the empire as fast as their Churches will send 
them. He had not studied the difference between 
"then and now," but was looking rather at what 
the Church at home fails to do. "Darkness has 
covered the earth, and gross darkness the people " 
— but the Sun of righteousness has risen upon 
Japan. God is fulfilling his promises. Hundreds 
have called upon the name of the Lord, and thou- 
sands are being prepared for the word of his 
grace. 

See the call made by three Japanese ladies who 
three years ago had not so much as heard that 
our God, the Lord Jehovah, is the only God, and 
from everlasting to everlasting. Of their own mo- 
tion and without assistance from our missionaries, 
and having heard that the work in Japan is largely 
dependent upon the Boards at home, they wrote 
the following — their original paper being sent to 
Dr. John, both the Japanese and their English 



88 Letters from the Orient. 

copy. Dr. W. R. Lambuth sent me the appeal, 
knowing that I would remember the faces and 
sweet voices and devotion of the writers. They 
have studied English with Mrs. J. W. Lambuth: 

Kobe, Japan, September 3, 18S9. 

To the Members of the Board of Missions of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 
South, in the United States of America. 

Dear Friends and Brethren: Feeling inexpressibly thankful 
to our most merciful God for his great mercy and help in bring- 
ing us from the miseries of heathenism, and in carrying this great 
and glorious work of our Lord into this dark Gentile land; and 
bearing a deep sense of gratitude to the Methodist Episcopal 
Church, South, and especially to your honorable body, for all we 
have received for our good, we humbly beg leave to present to 
you our petition. 

The field is wide open before us for woman's Christian work, 
and it has pressing needs of laborers to carry it on. We cannot 
but cry out for help from beyond the great ocean to meet the de- 
mand. Precious souls are being swept on in the broad channel 
of destruction. We cannot and must not lose time to win them 
to Christ, who died for them. Now is the time for us to do the 
grand work in this island empire. And it is now our most ear- 
nest request that your societies will sympathize with us and 
take a speeding step to send out such lady workers as they see 
fit into the community of our sex, in this part of our Lord's do- 
minions. 

We remain, dear friends and brethren, in earnest and prayer- 
ful expectation of a favorable response to our petition. 

Your humble sisters in Christ, 

Mrs. Y. Yoshioka, 
Mrs. G. Hashimoto, 
Mrs. S. Kinoshita. 



I 



Peculiarities of the yafs. 89 

And there are some who say "foreign missions 
are a failure," and some who will not open their 
hearts and purses in order to send the gospel to 
the heathen ! \ 



LETTER IX. 

LEAVING JAPAN— FROM KOBE TO SHANGHAI. 

October 6, 1888. 

WE sailed in the " Sakio Maru" for Shanghai 
on the 4th, and are now three days from 
Kobe. Our route was through the Inland Sea; 
we saw for the last time the countless islands, 
picturesque villages, and green mountain-heights 
on which our eyes have rested during the trips on 
this coast. From the middle of the sea the hill- 
tops and rice-fields had the appearance of velvet, 
rivaling green Erin in her beauty. 

Our steamer is new, having left England on her 
maiden trip but three months ago. She is com- 
plete, having the modern improvements. There 
is machinery to change the air of the vessel every 
three minutes in case it is necessary to close the 
hatchways and ports, at which you will smile, re- 
membering that "fresh air" is my conspicuous 
idiosyncrasy. The weather has been delicious 
and the sea as smooth as glass, inclining everybody 
to remain on deck. To-day there is a swell which 
banishes some to their state-rooms. 

There are more than a dozen missionaries on 
(90) 




(91) HEliiUT MOUNTAIN IN TUli YANG-TSE 



Sailing to Shanghai. 01 

board, among them Mr. and Mrs. Hill, and Mr. 
and Mrs. Hendry, of our Church, and Dr. Woods, 
from Virginia, of the Southern Presbyterian Board. 
You know some members of the Woods family. 
The Doctor and I spent an hour together this 
afternoon looking up Scripture texts for illustrat- 
ing some striking pictures: among them is one of 
Buddha, whose devotees are calling upon him. 
He gives no heed, and they strike their gongs to 
compel his attention. But, as when the prophets 
of Baal leaped upon the altar and cried unto him 
"from morning even until noon," so "there was 
no voice, nor any that answered" from the throne 
of Buddha. Like those worshipers twenty-eight 
hundred years ago, they cry still the louder, lest 
the god "is talking, or pursuing, or on a journey, 
or asleep." No word or sounding brass reaches 
that dull ear from "morning even until noon," 
and on to the "evening sacrifice" the heavy ear 
hears not. Disappointed and hopeless, they turn 
away without knowing of Him who is nigh unto 
all that call upon him. 

October. 7. 

We have left the deep blue ocean, and are in the 

muddy waters of the Yellow Sea, The great 

Yang-tse, one of the largest rivers in the world, 

traversing China, brings the accumulations of three 



92 Letters from the Orient. 

thousand miles to the sea. I have heard this ex- 
planation of the color of the Yellow Sea, but do 
not know how so large a body of water can be 
affected by even three thousand miles of filthy 

China. 

October 8. 

We are in Shanghai with hospitable Mrs. Allen. 
The foreign concessions are quite handsome. As 
we entered the harbor the picture was beautiful. 
The consulates, residences of wealthy men, the 
hundreds of masts, with flags of various nations, 
made my first glimpse of the city a sight to be 
remembered. Our steamer was detained several 
hours at the mouth of the Woo Sung waiting for 
the tide, and again in the harbor because a man- 
of-war stood in the way. 




ON THE WOOSUNG, NEAK SHANGHAI, 



LETTER X. 

THE CHINA MISSION CONFERENCE— GLANCING OVER THE 
FIELD. 

Shanghai, China, October 17, 188S. 

WE enjoyed Dr. and Mrs. Allen's hospitality 
for more than a week. The Conference 
held its sessions in the new church in another part 
of the city. To you who have seen only the large 
Conferences at home it would have seemed a di- 
minutive body. Ten foreign missionaries (two of 
whom, Mr. Hill and Mr. Hendry, have but just 
arrived) and nine native preachers composed the 
body. At home we number old men as well as 
young, while here Dr. Allen only has counted 
fifty years. Our Chinese brethren wore their long 
cues and native dress, and sat very patiently dur- 
ing the deliberations, not understanding English. 
Mr. Soon alone was able to follow all that was said 
or done. Mr. Dzau also understands our language, 
but he remained in Suchow in charge of the hos- 
pital during Dr. Park's attendance at Conference. 
The routine work and questions of interest were 
disposed of in good order. Mr. Burke was or- 
dained deacon and elder; Mr. Hendry, elder. 
After a full discussion of all matters pertaining to 

(93) 



94 Letters from the Orient. 

the work, the appointments were read and a new 
year begun. Not a man has grown weary of the 
hard Hf e ; not one would turn back, though hopes 
are disappointed and some failures perhaps await 
another year's labor. Their devotion and self-- 
sacrifice are almost commensurate with their gir 
gantic undertaking. There has been success all 
along the line, but the work grows slowly and 
makes heavy exactions upon their faith and patient 
labor. They are in earnest; and the door is ef- 
fectual, although adversaries abound. On one 
side human sympathy is thousands of miles dis- 
tant, while near by is a language without begin- 
ning or end, an atmosphere of noxious vapors, 
foul surroundings, and a people hating God and 
working iniquity. On the other hand, the Church 
across the sea prays for them and the Lord God 
reigns. They know they are part of the eternal 
purpose, and they expect to rejoice in the "har- 
vest home." 

During the year Mr. Reid finished and dedicat- 
ed his new church at a cost of five thousand two 
hundred dollars. Already he has a good congre- 
gation and fair membership. He is faithful to his 
people, industrious in his study, and always re- 
members that there is joy in heaven over one sin- 
ner that repents. 



The China Mission. 95 

Dr. Allen and Professor Bonnell have a large 
field. There are at this time eighty boys and 
young men enrolled in the Anglo-Chinese College, 
who compare favorably in appearance with the 
same number at home. Their features and dress 
are peculiar to American eyes. Loose trousers 
and blouse complete the costume ; the half of the 
head is closely shaven, leaving the hair on the 
crown to grow as long as it will. The cue is 
braided and hangs down the back, the pride of 
every Chinaman — a strange thing, for it is really a 
badge of servitude. When the Tartar rulers con- 
quered China they ordered the men to shave their 
heads except on the crown, and the women to 
button their gowns on the left side. The men 
obeyed, but the women fasten their garments on 
the right side to this day ! This item of informa- 
tion reached me in the usual way, and appears to 
establish the statement that "w^hen she will, she 
will; and when she won't, she won't! " I believe 
it is no longer a law, but, having taken hold, the 
cue is the delight of the. race. We went through 
the college buildings. There is a fair collection 
of apparatus and minerals, bought with tuition 
fees, which last meet some of the current ex- 
penses of the school. Students from a distance 
pay about the same room-rent that is charged at 



96 Letters from the Orient. 

Vanderbilt University, the restaurant being served 
by a reliable man. Dr. Allen hopes to arrange for 
the sons of Christians who are unable to pay the 
fees. Perhaps some philanthropic friend will take 
the matter in hand. 

After all "the assessments" are paid, how hap- 
py a rich man must feel who can say, "I want to 
give something over and above!" We attend to 
business, provide for our families, say our prayers, 
go to church, and help pay 'Hhe assessments" as 
part of the routine. But every earnest man does 
more. He loves to give his child many a beautiful 
surprise; he wants to pray, often longing for a 
"word with Jesus" in the midst of business; and 
after he has given all he was asked, he is glad to 
offer "good measure" till it is "pressed down, 
shaken together, and running over." So has 
God given to him, and so would he return to his 
Lord. 

The two new men fill a gap, but do not help to 
extend the work. The Suchow Circuit has been 
left "to be supplied" for two or three years. Mr. 
Hendry is to go to that work. It cannot be con- 
sidered an extension. Mr. Loehr's health having 
failed, it is necessary for him to have a rest at 
home in Georgia. Mr. Hill will succeed him at 
Nansiang, which is an established work. If we 



The China Mission. 97 

push into the interior, there must be a larger force. 
The province which we have entered has a popu- 
lation of more than eighteen millions, to whom we 
have sent but ten men from America and nine na- 
tive preachers. If we would do our share in sav- . 
ing this one province, the Church must rise to the 
summit of self-sacrifice. 

Your father presided at the Ladies' Annual 
Meeting. I cannot tell you of all their discussions. 
Those on foot-binding and the "course of study" 
were spirited. There is a difference of opinion 
among the various missions on the subject of foot- 
binding. They agree as to its evil, but not as to 
the possibility of remedy. 

Nearly all the missions recommend a course of 
study, with annual examinations. A year ago our 
ladies determined to follow this plan, and the first 
business after they met was the examination con- 
ducted by Dr. Allen and Dr. Parker. All passed 
creditably. After free discussion and consulta- 
tion with the gentlemen, a course was decid- 
ed upon, and so far as I hear, while the work 
laid out will employ fully the hours of study, it is 
not probable that even the newly arrived will be 
overtasked. 

We have fifteen ladies at work in China. You 
may think these are all we will need for a long 
7 



98 Letters from the Orient. 

time. I have to say that fifteen capable workers 
hke these soon open avenues for fifteen others. 
How can it be otherwise ? The work of one grows 
till she cannot compass it. It must be so. When 
these fifteen become thirty, the thirty ought soon 
to be sixty. Will not the Church see this and re- 
double her energy? The future usefulness of ev- 
ery new missionary is endangered if she cannot 
give the half of her time to acquiring the language. 
The channel of communication is opened and held 
at the desk. None can ignore this. A minor con- 
sideration is the respect given to one who uses the 
Chinese readily. Our missionaries cannot afford 
to be indifferent to the estimation in which they 
shall be held by those whom they hope to lead 
into the way of everlasting life. They look on 
foreigners as barbarians, and on women as infe- 
rior, soulless creatures. One barrier is removed 
when they find that our representatives can read 
and speak their language. 

On the second day we were invited to Trinity 
Home to "tiffin" to meet all the ladies. Miss 
Haygood, Miss Hughes, Miss Atkinson, Miss Mc- 
Clelland, Miss Muse, Miss Lipscomb, Miss Rob- 
erts, Miss Reagan, Mrs. Campbell, Dr. Mildred 
Philips, Miss Philips, Miss Kerr, Miss Gordon, 
with your father and I, sat down to the table. Miss 




A CHINESE ARTIST. 



The China Mission. 99 

Rankin and Miss Hamilton were unavoidably ab- 
sent. It was a delightful hour. Fair as every 
thing looked, I found that Miss Muse, who is 
housekeeper, has had her difficulties. The cook 
was called off during this week of company to 
perform the ancestral worship at the grave of his 
mother. She died five weeks ago, and the time 
for special rites for the dead had come. No per- 
suasions nor any sense of obligation to his kitchen 
could hold him: away he went to his religious ob- 
servance. 

The ladies have had a photograph taken — Dr. 
Allen, your father, and myself added to the num- 
ber make a group of eighteen. On the whole, it 
is a satisfactory picture. 

I stood to-day with Miss Haygood beside Dora 
Rankin's grave — our first grave. It is a beautiful 
spot. Heaven bless those who have taken up her 
work, and all those who give themselves to this 
people among whom our dear saint sleeps ! And 
by and by may we who love her work, and who 
love our Lord's appearing, stand with her to wel- 
come the redeemed hosts of China to "the supper 
of the Lamb! " We covered the earthly resting- 
place with flowers, and I brought away a little leaf 
that had grown over her head. 

I wish I could give you an idea of the restful 



100 Letters from the Orient. 

look of Trinity Home. It is on the street — I 
mean immediately on the thoroughfare, crowded 
with noisy men, women, and children. There are 
beggars, rough children, hard-working people, jin^ 
rikishas, wheelbarrows, hucksters with their port-; 
able ovens, and commissariats — all sorts of sounds 
and filth. Entered behind the wall and the gate 
shut, every thing unsightly is left without. The 
grass is as smooth as velvet ; a lovely vine covers 
one end of Trinity Church; a few chrysanthe- 
mums grow in the borders and in pots on the ve- 
randa; and on the other side Clopton School, as 
clean as though no soil existed on the globe ; while 
here and there is seen a Chinese girl walking and 
talking with smiling face and shining eyes. I can- 
not tell the difference between inside and outside. 
The same sun shines upon the just and the unjust; 
but the just are like the sun, "a shining in the dark- 
ness ! " Outside are the heathen, not knowing nor 
wanting to know of the perfect day; inside, those 
whose life is "hid wdth Christ in God." Out- 
side, the demons of hell let loose; inside, heaven 
begun below. Outside, the hosts rushing to de- 
struction; inside, every face turned toward Him 
once crucified, but now risen and ascended into 
the heavens. Our little band does not want to 
remain inside, enjoying the rest — they prefer 



The China Mission. 101 

to be up and doing. They are about tHeir Fa- 
ther's business, and of course are felt on the 
outside. 

I was in Clopton School several times. I have 
listened to the recitations, not knowing a word that 
was spoken, but enjoying the visit. I did under- 
stand the neat sewing, the pretty embroideries, and 
the orderly dormitories and work-room. The girls 
. are now making up winter clothes, which are 
amazing constructions. The blouse and trousers 
are thickly wadded, so that I am sure the wear- 
ers will be as broad as long. They have taken 
great pleasure in embroidering a handkerchief 
for me and a spectacle-case for your father. 
Heaven bless those dear fingers, and in the 
years to come may they move at the impulse of 
God's love ! 

"Pigeon English" is very amusing. Miss Hay- 
good is an expert. She took me shopping, and 
these are some of the phrases that I remember: 
"Talkie one piecee man, bring come my house 
catchee money," meaning "Tell a man to come 
to my house for the money." Another: "My go 
top side, lookee see have got," meaning "Go 
upstairs and see if I have it." Again: "Missie 
wantchie make look see, by'm by come again," 
meaning "The lady wants to look to-day, and will 



102 'Letters frojii the Orient. 

come again." Forgood-by: "After while meet.'*' 
Your father is "A number one top side heaven 
business man" — the first four words meaning 
bishop, and the last three that he is the bearer of 
a heavenly message. It would seem easier to 
learn good English, but I believe they speak ac- 
cording to the Chinese idiom. 



LETTER XL 

A TOUR OF THE CANALS— THE INTERIOR MISSION STATIONS- 
INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS AMONG THE PEOPLE. 

SucHOW, October 35, 1888. 

GUR kind friend Mr. Reid arranged for our 
visit to the interior stations. The commis- 
sary department of his "house-boat" (we made the 
journey by canal) was well regulated, himself being 
housekeeper and general commanding, the sec- 
ond officer being Mrs. Reid's cook. Besides, we 
had a captain and three sailors. We spread our 
sails on the 19th, in company with Dr. Allen, who 
had some adjustments to make for the Nansiang 
ladies ; Mr. Loehr, who went in order to pack and 
store his furniture; and Mr. and Mrs. Hill, who 
were starting out on their untried and unknown 
work. We left Shanghai in the sunshine. It was 
a lovely morning. The canal presented a gay 
picture. A hundred or more boats, anxious as 
were we to take advantage of wind and tide, 
stretched out in line ahead and behind us. A 
mixture of Chinese jargon, the splashing of pad- 
dles, the rippling of the waters, were kept up for 
several hours, when we turned off to go to Nansi- 
ang, where we arrived in the afternoon. 

(103) 



104 Letters f 7-0711 the Orient. 

We were most cordially received at "Louise 
Home" by Miss Roberts and Miss Reagan. Lou- 
ise Home was the gift of a Baltimore lady whose 
generosity has not ceased. An invalid, her chief 
pleasure is in good works. She gave the name of 
a sainted sister to this missionary home. 

The following morning the ladies walked with 
us through the narrow, dirty streets of the town. 
The shops were filled with all sorts of goods — 
clothes, uneatables, incense, peeled oranges by the 
score, the delicious persimmon, fine-looking vege- 
tables, and fish of all sizes and grades. In one es- 
tablishment we saw the process of compounding 
edibles by the use of strange machiner}^ A very 
soiled-looking man stood in a tub, working with 
his feet a great mass of vegetables into what he 
and his constituency consider a savory mess. I 
was told, but did not see it, that the packing of 
tea-leaves for market is done in the same way. 
Every day I see laundrymen at their wash in the 
canal, while within a few feet others are cleansing 
the filthiest vessels and making ready the vegeta- 
bles for the next meal. The indifference of the 
Chinese to various nice points is perceptible to the 
traveler at every turn. Many of their habits are 
extremely disgusting. 

We also visited a representation of the Buddhist 



A Tour of the Canals. 105 

Inferno, situated in a dilapidated temple, a fitting 
spot for purgatorial exhibitions. On his throne, in 
full canonicals, was seated the great dispenser of 
destinies. Before him appeared the wretched vic- 
tims. Thence they passed to their doom. One 
was pinned down by pitchforks while vultures 
preyed upon him inch by inch, another was de^ 
voured by wild beasts, another bound in a sea of 
blood, another held by his heels in a caldron of 
boiling oil, another flayed, another fastened with- 
in reach of demons fertile in torturing, one sawn 
asunder, one ground between millstones, one torn 
by red-hot pinchers, and others the victims of fiery 
serpents. It was a poor representation, but showed 
some conception of the horrors of the lost. This 
anguish must be endured for ages, when perhaps 
the condemned may be returned to earth in the 
form of a hideous reptile or in the body of an 
extreme sufferer. After many changes, more or 
less connected with some humiliating pain, he may 
be exalted and even pass into Buddha. Women 
have been known who accumulated sufficient merit 
to be allowed to return to earth in the body of a 
man — an exaltation most devoutly to be worked 
for! 

Dr. Walter Lambuth told me that when a boy 
wandering in one of these temples he was about 



106 Letters from the Orient. 

to step on a caterpillar, when a priest begged 
him to be careful, the worm being the new body 
of a relative just returned to earth. I have heard 
that the indifference to deformity and pain grows 
out of the belief that these are punishments for 
crime in some former state of existence. China 
is in the shadow of death, though her history be- 
gan three thousand years ago. It is an overwhelm- 
ing thought that three hundred million of her pres- 
ent population never heard the name of Jesus — 

That Name on which we build, 
Our shield and hiding-place; 

Our never-failing treasury, filled 
With boundless stores of grace. 

Shall the "fullness of rapture" in the "heaven 
of heavens" be ours alone? or, shall not "the 
smile of the Lord" be also the feast of Japan and 
China? We sing and realize: 

"How happy every child of grace, 
Who knows his sins forgiven ! '* 

We exult in the thought of ' ' the land of rest, 
the saints' delight." Shall not we teach China 
that there is a "heaven prepared" for all them 
who will love the Lord Jesus Christ? 

Miss Roberts took me through her dormitories. 
The beds were curtained according to Chinese 
fashion. The coverings were folded and piled 



A Tour of the Canals. 107 

lengthwise on the side of the mattress next to the 
wall, in most precise order, and, though so differ- 
ent from our bed-making, I liked it. The schools 
and church at Nansiang are greatly in need of 
good music. When Miss Rankin lived there she 
and her sister paid some attention to this branch of 
work, but the ladies now in charge do not sing. 
They are also without an instrument. Miss Ran- 
kin's friends in the Memphis Conference pre- 
sented her with an organ some years ago, which 
is performing good service in Kiating. [Long 
time after, writing to Mrs. McGavock in behalf of 
this church requirement, I was happy to hear that 
the young ladies of the Nashville College for 
Young Ladies, some of whom were classmates of 
Miss Reagan, presented her with an organ. I am 
sure that love for the work in China will not ob- 
scure her love for her alma mater. ~\ In the tab- 
ernacle service of David's time they sung with 
harps and cymbals, and afterward in the great 
temple the trained singers had their trumpets. 
How much more in China, where there seems so 
little idea of melody, and where they need cultiva- 
tion through the eye and tongue and ear beyond 
what you conceive, ought they to have every help 
toward the service of the Lord ! 

Monday, October 22, we spent in Kiating with 



108 Letters from the Orient. 

Miss Rankin and Miss Kerr, who are the only for- 
eigners in the city. Miss Rankin is a courageous 
woman, loves her work, and has made an impres- 
sion upon these strangers. These ladies live in a 
Chinese house, which was very uncomfortable 
when they rented it. Miss Rankin secured a 
proper flooring and induced her landlord to build a 
chimney. The native Chinese houses have no 
chimneys, nor do the people use stoves. They 
increase their clothing as the weather grows 
cold, and sometimes burn charcoal in a brazier 
to warm the room. Miss Rankin's home is very 
pretty. A stove in the sitting-room will keep the 
ladies comfortable during the winter. They have 
no fear, though they are surrounded by heathen. 
It appeared a very formidable undertaking when 
Miss Rankin went alone to this city; but with Miss 
Kerr as a reminder that she still belongs to us, 
and neighbors whose friendliness I witnessed, I 
begin to see that her usefulness overbalances the 
dangers her friends feared. She says the time 
is too short for all she wants to do; accordingly 
she desires no holidays, but rests herself in the 
happiness of working among these people of her 
choice. 

The front of her house is one large window, and 
is very pretty. It is composed of small bits of 



A Totir of the Canals. 109 

oyster-shells set in lattice-work, and though giving 
scarcely sufficient light, yet is translucent. 

Miss Rankin's Anglo-Chinese school for boys 
is well managed. The rented building was in 
beautiful order the day of our visit. She also has 
a few girls in her charge who look bright, and 
she says they are very sweet and attractive. In 
her court, or yard, she has flowers, and every thing 
around her tends to show her girls and her neigh- 
bors that a Christian household deserves imitation. 
I believe her house is open to the women of Kia- 
ting at all hours, no matter how busy or how tired 
she is. 

We left Miss Rankin and Miss Kerr just before 
the gates of the city were closed for the night, 
and slept again upon the canal. This canal trav- 
eling must be dangerous to the health, the waters 
being the receptacle for all manner of filth — a word 
one must use often in speaking of China. The 
villages along the banks have no other outlet for 
sewage; and as they have no drainage, tons of 
refuse make their way to the canals : the nostrils 
are offended, and I suppose there is often consid- 
erable sickness. We have been well, but I under- 
stand why foreigners are subject to the various 
forms of malarial disease. 

We have had favorable winds during our tour of 



110 Letters from the Orient. 

the canals. When there was a lull our crew 
"tracked" — that is, they harnessed themselves to 
the boat and took to the track by the water-side. 
It must be weary work. But everywhere in China 
the coolie must labor to the uttermost, never hav-' 
ing a holiday save at New-year. The bridges we 
have passed are well-built stone structures. John 
Chinaman is a born engineer — that is, his bridges 
are perfect, without an understanding of the archi- 
tectural construction of the arch. 

We are now in Suchow with the Rev. Dr. and 
Mrs. A. P. Parker. We have a band of mission- 
aries in this city — our host and his wife, Mr. and 
Mrs. Anderson and three sturdy boys. Dr. and 
Mrs. Park, Mr. and Mrs. Hendry, Miss Philips, 
Dr. Mildred Philips, Mrs. Campbell, and Miss 
Gordon. [Miss Gordon has since changed her 
relation, being now the worthy helpmate of Rev. 
W. B. Burke, stationed in Sungkiang.] We 
have two hospitals here : one belonging to the Par- 
ent Board, and in charge of Dr. Park; the other 
was erected by the Woman's Board, and is in care 
of Dr. Philips. 

Dr. Park's work is very valuable. He is assist- 
ed by our Chinese friend Mr. Dzau, better known 
as C. K. Marshall. The medical department is a 
successful arm of the service. If we win China, 



A Tour of the Canals. Ill 

she must be touched at all points. Not the men-r 
tal, nor the physical, nor the spiritual can be negr 
lected. If the body is the temple of the Holy 
Ghost, we must care for it, lest we do despite to 
the heavenly Keeper. Hence our two hospitals. 
Last year Dr. Park and Mr. Marshall treated ten 
thousand patients, some of whom were great suf- 
ferers, and all requiring intelligent attention. 

The hospital is in urgent need of repairs. In 
this climate houses and furniture, as well as the 
health, become dilapidated. All of the paint and 
some of the wood-work need renewal ; but, above 
every thing, new beds and bedding are necessary. 
That now in use should be burned: it is unclean 
to the greatest degree, and should not be allowed 
inside the hospital. For the same reason there 
ought always to be two clean suits of clothing to 
each bed. Generally the patients are poor, and 
their bedding and clothing are covered with ver- 
min and filth. Also musquito canopies are requi- 
site. Think of a sick man too feeble to brush the 
many musquitos from his face and hands, and 
you will perceive this need cannot be too much 
emphasized. I pray that our people may keep 
Dr. Park's work in their thoughts, remembering 
that here, as in other benevolent undertakings, 
there must be annual donations. 



112 Letters fro7n the Orient. 

Three students having gone through five years 
of study, and having passed satisfactory examina- 
tion in anatomy, physiology, chemistry, materia 
medica and therapeutics, practice of medicine, 
obstetrics, surgery, dermatology, and ophthalmol- 
ogy, vi^ere awarded diplomas. When the day of 
presentation came, one "was not, for God took 
him." Of the two remaining, one will be employed 
by Dr. Park, the other by Dr. Philips. Your fa- 
ther presented the diplomas. It was current in 
Suchow that the Emperor of America had sent 
Bishop Wilson to China to perform this ceremony, 
and consequently great confidence is expressed in 
the ability of the new doctors to cure. Mr. Mar- 
shall is a faithful man, untiring and sensible. He 
itinerates through the villages scattered about this 
city, preaching the everlasting gospel as he dis- 
penses medicines. The two go hand in hand with 
him — surgical instruments, medicine-chest, and the 
Bible are inseparable in his practice. He, enter- 
tained us at his home with what he called an 
Anglo-Chinese supper. He spent some years in 
Tennessee, and knows how to combine the culi- 
nary art so that one hardly knows where China 
ends and America begins. We found his wife 
and daughter hospitable and agreeable, though 
they do not understand English. 



A Tour of the Canals. 113 

Mr. Anderson, the presiding elder, finds him- 
self loving his work more and more as the years 
go on. He travels about this region constantly, 
and seems to be growing into the belief that he 
should make a new home in the regions beyond — 
that is, farther into the interior, where none but 
the native heathen are to be found. This would 
indeed be a sacrifice, for Mr. and Mrs. Anderson 
would thus be cut off from all " communion of 
saints." We know several who have thus left 
friends for interior work. It is not a small thing 
to live alone with the heathen. To be sure, man 
and wife choose to be all the world to each other, 
and we expect them to enjoy home life above all 
earthly good. Notwithstanding, God's grace alone 
can enable a missionary or a missionary family to 
give up "the assembly of the saints" and friendly 
ties, to have no other association but the pagan 
crowd that come and go without kindly thought 
and having no higher aspiration than success in 
the things of sense. We honor some who have 
done it, but cannot see others enter upon such 
self-abnegation without invoking upon them the 
special care of the all-seeing God. 

Dr. Philips has just opened her hospital. She 
was delayed by an accident more than a year ago. 
This delay is more than compensated by the asso- 
8 



114 Letters from the Orient. 

ciation of Mrs. Campbell with Dr. Philips. If 
God will, in its future is wonderful power. The 
opening was very felicitous. Mr. Reid announced 
the hymn and led in prayer. Mr. Anderson read 
from the word of God. Dr. Parker made the 
Chinese address, all the native Christians of the 
city from the several missions being present. 
Your father followed with remarks to missionaries 
of our own Boards, as well as the representatives 
of the two Presbyterian Boards, there being also 
with us a few Chinese who understand our tongue. 
The entire building was thrown open for inspec- 
tion. The wards, drug-room, operating-room, re- 
ception-room, room for clinic, pantry, kitchen, 
and the chapel are complete. We went so far as 
to examine the kitchen range, and found it all that 
could be desired. A boy stands at the grate to 
feed it every minute, if — as when we looked — the 
fuel \>^ straw, which makes a hot fire, but requires 
constant renewal. 

A simple collation of tea, biscuits, ham, and 
fruit finished the afternoon. We were invited into 
the room where the Chinese guests were in full 
enjoyment of their feast: a separate table was 
necessary, because their menu is different from 
ours. An innovation was made on this occasion. 
The native friends, male and female, were placed 



A Tour of the Canals. 115 

in the same room for this evening tea — for here, as 

in Japan, the wife eats after her spouse has been 

served; and also Chinese women rarely appear in 

company of the other sex. A husband and wife 

are not seen together on the street: one of our 

pastors said, "If I went with my wife to walk, all 

the boys in town would be after us." I witnessed 

most extravagant mirth last week, when I took 

your father's arm in passing along a very rough 

place in the twilight. The freedom of association 

allowed our young people would not be tolerated 

here for an hour. 

October 29. 

We are now the guests of Miss Philips. She 
goes in and out — always cheerful, always busy, al- 
ways devoted to her work. Her girls are never out 
of her thoughts. Some of them have already begun 
"to grow into Christ." Three of them are almost 
prepared to teach. The school is studying He- 
brews, which they read with the references. Miss 
Philips asked this morning, "When was Jesus a 
little lower than the angels?" The answer came, 
"When he suffered death on the cross" — a cor- 
rect reply, but not what the teacher wished. She 
called on them to turn to Philippians ii. 6-8, that 
they might see his entire life was a humiliation. I 
have noticed at morning prayers (Chinese reading 



116 Letters from the Orient. 

and prayer with the servants) for several days a 
very forlorn-looking man, who is not a member of 
Miss Philips's household. I asked to-day who he 
was, and received the reply; "He is my cow man, 
and I insist if I deal with him he must come to 
prayers." You will understand it better when I 
tell you the cow — in China a very ungainly water 
buffalo — is led from house to house and milked at 
the kitchen door. This was very amusing to me 
when I first heard of it in Dr. J. W. Lambuth's 
home in Japan, where the same plan is pursued. 
In this way housekeepers may water the milk at 
their own sweet will — not the dealers. 

I have also been to Miss Gordon's school, where 
I listened to the recitation of Mark ii. together 
with the Catechism. The native teachers of this 
school had heard I was to make them a visit, and 
prepared for me a dish of sweetmeats and a pot 
of tea which was presented steaming hot, with a 
full-blown rose floating in the cup. 

All the women of Central and Southern China 
have bound feet — a deforming practice, distressing 
in the extreme. It is said that the smallest shoes 
are worn in Suchow. Every mother, notwith- 
standing she remembers her own suffering, binds 
the feet of her little daughter: the child would 
rather bear the pain than the disgrace of large feet 



A Tour of the Canals. , 117 

— besides, she would lose all chance of marriage, 
for a husband could not be found for one who dis- 
regards this fashion. I have seen here and in 
Shanghai a custom quite as ultra — viz., finger- 
nails, three, four, and nearly five inches long, a 
shield of bamboo, tortoise-shell, or silver being 
worn for protection. Of course the working-man, 
or coolie, cannot indulge in such fashion. 

Buffington Institute, in charge of Dr. Parker, is 
located in Suchow. There are now seventy-five 
boys under instruction. Of these, twelve are mem- 
bers of the Church, and as many more are proba- 
tioners. Two of the graduates are in our ministry; 
two others are licensed to exhort, and are prepar- 
ing to preach ; two are teaching the higher mathe- 
matics for Dr. Parker, and one of these is super- 
intendent of our Sunday-school; five others are 
teaching in our schools ; two are teaching in Gov- 
ernment schools; and one is Dr. Park's druggist, 
a faithful teacher in the Sunday-school, and prom- 
ises to be a useful man : to him we were greatly 
indebted for attention in our rounds about Suchow. 
You will see that the school has made a good rec- 
ord. The workshop is a feature of the institution: 
here they learn to make and use tools of various 
kinds. A steam-engine and lathe and meteoro- 
logical instruments have been set up and are in 



118 Letters from the Orient. 

constant use. Also a dynamo feeds an electric light 
for the instruction and entertainment of the boys. 
As soon as he can Dr. Parker wishes to establish 
a library. I discovered that all these " extras" are 
his donations. Are there not some who will be 
glad to furnish the amount necessary to fill the 
shelves with such books as he may select? He is 
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. He 
knows what to do with boys, is himself a student, 
and besides finds time occasionally to go with 
Mr. Anderson on an itinerating tour. Mrs. Parker 
renders him constant assistance also, having charge 
of four day-schools and laboring among the women 
of Suchow. She prepared an arithmetic in Chi- 
nese the past year, and the ladies at their Annual 
Meeting voted to publish it for immediate use. 

A word concerning day-schools. When it is re- 
ported that four, five, six day-schools are in charge 
of one missionary lady, it is not meant that she 
does all the teaching of these schools, but that 
she superintends the whole. The Chinese teach- 
ers are of her selection, and are under her man- 
agement. She constantly inspects both teachers 
and taught, all understanding themselves to be re- 
sponsible to her. Her plans must be executed; 
and as far as I saw, the schools were happy at her 
presence. 



A Tour of the Canals. 119 

The streets of Suchow — indeed of all the cities 
I have seen — are narrow, not more than from six 
to nine feet wide, and are filthy beyond words. 
Crowds throng them all day long. The markets 
are almost impassable — buying, selling, eating, gos- 
siping being in progress from early morning till 
late at night. I have wondered whether our coo- 
lies would be able to bear our sedan-chairs safely 
through the crowds: they pressed on, the throngs 
were good-natured, and I do not remember that we 
have been jostled. 

The poor of China do much of their eating in 
the market-house, having no fire in the home. Of 
course there is no regular family life in these cases. 
All winter many households are without heating 
apparatus. The abject poverty of the masses is 
distressing. Many families are supported on a 
daily outlay of a few cents, which means half- 
starved men, women, and children. I have seen 
hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pats of argol, 
laid in the sun to dry, which were to be used for 
fuel in the family cooking. Also I see women and 
children gathering the leaves as they fall from the 
trees, which are to serve in like manner to make 
a short-lived blaze, that will perhaps boil the 
water for the daily tea. I was informed by a lady 
living for twenty years far in the interior that it is 



120 Letters from the Orient. 

a common thing for the poor to eat snails, dogs, 
spiders, rats, and even snakes, fried in any sort of 
grease. Though such squalor may disgust, the 
heart goes out to a people so oppressed by penury. 
As one looks into these faces that have never 
known comfort, the longing comes to tell them of 
Him who, while "he had not where to lay his 
head," was Lord of eternal glory, and in whom is 
compensation for every ill to which flesh is heir. 

Their huts betoken the same poverty. As we 
have sailed and paddled and "tracked" along the 
canals, we have passed many a mud or bamboo 
hovel built against the city walls, thus saving the 
cost of one side. The few "cash" thus spared 
are perhaps the only hope in the "rainy day" 
that comes to every Chinaman. 

A copper coin — from ten to thirteen making one 
cent — is the only money in circulation except the 
Mexican dollar, which is found in the sea-ports (not 
in use in the interior). It is easy to see that a 
family of six who live on one hundred and fifty or 
two hundred cash per day cannot approach com- 
fort. 

Great strings of cash — two, three, four yards 
long — are slung across the shoulders for transpor- 
tation from one shop to another: they carry their 
money by the yard. Our little pocket-books are 




(121, 



A CITY GATE IN CIIIXA. 



A Tour of the Canals. 121 

of no use. Travelers going into the interior trans- 
mit the coin by the pound, requiring an extra mule, 
jinrikisha, or coolie for the heavy load. 

A few days ago we visited one of the Suchow 
bazaars, where one's strength was required to 
stand firmly in the midst of a crowd of several 
thousand, pressing on all sides. Chinese wares of 
many sorts were on exhibition, while men of va- 
rious sizes, conditions, attractions (or lack), and 
ages clamored for the patronage of the visitors. I 
am sure I should not have held my own if our 
young Chinese friend had not been by my side. 
A dozen tongues and twice as many hands assailed 
us at every turn. No sooner was one set disposed 
of than another was equally clamorous. It was 
bedlam. I think we spent twenty-five cents, a sum 
sufficient to support a family for two days. 

Suchow is a walled city. This wall was built two 
thousand and three hundred years ago, but has 
passed through many vicissitudes and been bat- 
tered down time and again. It is thirty feet high 
and fifteen (or more) thick. So you see this city 
dates back long before the time of Christ. When 
he walked up and down the hills and valleys of 
Judea and Galilee, these streets over which I trod 
were traversed by those who would have joined in 
the cry " Crucify him ! crucify him ! " had he been 



122 Lcttc7's from the Orient. 

in their midst. He was but five thousand miles away, 
and they knew him not. Almost nineteen hundred 
years have gone, and still they know him not. 
To-day Buddhist priests by the score are preach- 
ing up and down the miles I have but just traveled, 
until the Chinese say the very stones rise to listen ; 
while our Church has here but nine men to preach 
the everlasting gospel to the eighteen millions of 
this one province ! O when shall we reach them 
with the story of the Son of man, so that these 
deaf ears shall be unstopped and these ignorant 
souls rise from out the superstitions of centuries ? 

China is one universal cemetery. Four hundred 
millions are here, while we walk over the grave- 
mounds of as many more who lie beneath the sod. 
There are no public cemeteries, except those near 
the ports, which are laid out by foreigners. The 
Chinaman buries wherever the soothsayer finds 
a lucky place. The dead are kept in the house, 
often for days, weeks, and years, until the geo- 
mancer discovers the auspicious hour and location 
for interment. I have seen many coffined dead 
left in the field or on the highway to await the 
fortunate announcement. 

O the smells of Suchow! They are beyond de- 
scription. One almost sees and hears and tastes 
them. Our Brother Dzau calls them " celestial 



A Tour of the Canals. 123 

odors." Only this Celestial Empire produces 
them. The most wonderful thing here is the 
smells, unless it be the Suchow belief that under 
this city lies the great dragon of China. He must 
not be offended, for the excitement of anger would 
cause him to move, which would shake Suchow 
from its foundations. His tail is immediately un- 
der the Black Pagoda, and its trembling has more 
than once produced earthquakes. I believe if he 
were to turn over, the country would be wiped out 
of existence. His pleasure must be consulted with 
the same assiduity as that given to the Fung-Shui. 



LETTER XII. 

AGAIN OVER LAKE AND CANAL— THE INTERIOR JOURNEYINGS 
ENDED. 

FROM Suchow we went to Hang-chow, a long 
journey on the canal. Our way took us 
across the Great Lake, the most beautiful sheet of 
water in China. Our little "house-boat" skipped 
before the wind. These journeys are often weari- 
some, but to us they are new and interesting. The 
weather has been good, we have eaten and slept 
well, and so many new things have kept our eyes 
and thoughts busy that the days have flown rap- 
idly. 

Many of the canal-boats have eyes painted on 
the bows — and indeed some on the seas follow this 
fashion. The sailors say: "No have eye, no see; 
no see, no sabe; no sabe, no walkee water; no 
walkee water, how go?" It is conclusive. Of 
course the boats must have eyes. 

When we came to the " Bridge of Silence " over 
one of the canals our captain made special request 
that not a word be spoken till we had passed; 
otherwise great damage to the boat and all on 
board would have ensued ! When I happened on 
024) 



End of the Interior yotirncys. 125 

deck at sunrise, I saw our crew worship the sun ; 
and several times when there was no wind they 
called upon the god for the great propeller. Not- 
withstanding we have been occupied with so many 
strange sights, since leaving Shanghai we have 
read a large work on Japan, a "Treatise on the 
Will," an "Early History of China," a long "Ac- 
count of the Black Plague of the Twelfth and 
Thirteenth Centuries," a story of George Mac- 
Donald's, and have written six letters, besides 
talking much — I will not say how the reading and 
talking were divided. The tour has been delight- 
ful, Mr. Reid being a good housekeeper and host. 
In Hang-chow we were hospitably entertained 
at the mission of our Southern Presbyterian 
friends. The veteran Miss Kirkland and Rev. 
Mr. Lancaster were our kind hosts. Miss Kirk- 
land has been constantly at work for fifteen years, 
Heaven having spared her health. She is pos- 
sessed of such energy and love that no missionary 
in this empire will have a brighter record. In the 
"day of the Lord" thousands will rise to call her 
blessed. I should have been charmed to go with 
her to the country on one of her itinerating tours 
of several weeks, when her association is exclu- 
sively with the Chinese, but we are straitened for 
time. Their work in Hang-chow is prosperous. 



126 Letters from the Orient. 

The girls' boarding-school on the premises is in 
fine condition. We were present during recitation 
hours, and enjoyed the hymns: these were the 
same we have loved at home save the words, which 
were too intricate for our understanding. 

The country about Hang-chow is beautiful. We 
climbed the high hills, sailed over the lake, looked 
into the shops, walked the streets, and left with 
regret. 

Once again on the canal, we turned our faces 
toward Sungkiang, where Mr. Burke is working 
with all his might. He was not at home, having 
been called away by urgent business. We looked 
through his school, his house, his flowers, his 
chapel, saw his teachers and preachers, walked to 
the lot which we hope to buy so that we shall be 
established in this city, but missed the pleasant 
face of Mr. Burke. We called at the house of 
one of the native pastors. We were received in 
a neat room, furnished in Chinese style — very 
straight-backed chairs (which reminded me of our 
grandmothers, who sat upright from the cradle to 
the grave), three or four small square tables which 
with the chairs are set against the wall ; their ideas 
of neatness permit no diagonal placing, nor is the 
middle of the room ever disordered by any piece 
of furniture. The walls were decorated by paper 



End of- the Interior fourneys. 127 

banners representing the seasons. There was no 
mat or rug upon the floor. The wife and children 
were tidy, with the smoothest hair and with cheer- 
ful faces. Of course tea was served. Tea and 
water-melon seed are always handed. I noticed 
they sent out for the boiling water, which meant 
there was no fire in the kitchen. Some corner 
brazier, I dare say, furnishes the families of the 
neighborhood with a pint of boiling water three or 
four times a day, for a small consideration. 

Sungkiang was our last stopping-place. Shang- 
hai was but a few hours away, when we stepped 
aboard the house-boat for the last time. As we 
neared the end of the journey, the captain was 
taken quite sick. His final remedy was so amaz- 
ing that I record it. I afterward found that it was 
well known to Chinese materia medica. The pa- 
tient was punctured with a needle over the offend- 
ing surface. It may be that I am antiquated, for 
why should not this treatment be -as efficacious 
as cupping, leeching, blistering, and mustard- 
plasters ? 

I do not remember the many things that inter- 
ested us during this journeying on the canals. The 
postal-boats are rowed by the feet: a very curious 
arrangement, I thought. 

We saw large droves of ducks, trained to obey 



128 Lette7's from the Orient. 

the movements of a long bamboo-rod in the hands 
of the keeper, who brings them to the water every 
morning and drives them back to the pen at night. 
Ducks being a staple in the markets, great care is 
taken of them. It was surprising to see them so 
well acquainted with the motion of a long pole, 
for one is accustomed to think them intent upon 
aquatic pursuits, knowing only their one musical 
sound, and how to grow fat. There were never 
any stragglers, all moving with the rod to the right 
or left. 

In many of the inlets on the canal a water 
chestnut that is quite edible is grown. Boiled, 
grated, and beaten with eggs, milk, and butter, it 
makes a toothsome pudding. 

Cormorant fishing is also one of the industries. 
I missed the sight, but your father had the pleasure 
of watching the process. A ring is placed around 
the throat of the cormorant to prevent him from 
swallowing the fish. The birds swim, dive, catch 
their prey, and convey it to the fishing-smack. 



LETTER XIII. 

THE MISSION-SCHOOLS IN SHANGHAI— THEIR GOOD MANAGE- 
MENT—IN THE HOMES OF THE NATIVES. 

Shanghai, November 17, 188S. 

WE have been with Mr. and Mrs. Reid for 
the past week, in the new mission parson- 
age. It is a comfortable home, but not a "fine 
house." I heard on the steamers and in America 
that missionaries live extravagantly. This is not 
true of any household I have entered in Japan or 
China. There is no expensive living among our 
friends. The rooms and halls are large ; but in the 
long, hot summers, with atmosphere almost as try- 
ing as that of Africa, large rooms, high ceilings, and 
many windows are necessary. For proof of damp- 
ness, I mention that dresses which are laid aside 
for a few weeks becom.e so moldy that frequently 
they are ruined. Packing-trunks must be exam- 
ined often, if blankets, rugs, furs, and clothing are 
saved. What the damp, hot summer does to house- 
hold goods it also does to the constitution. The 
wood-work of the dwelling wears out: so does the 
health of our workers, unless they are carefully 
provided for. My needles and scissors are rusted 
so that I cannot use them, although we have had 
9 (129) 



130 Lette7's fro^n the Orient. 

no rain, but constant sunshine. Very few persons 
escape injury to their health, and the least we can 
do is to give our missionaries comfortable houses. 
This morning we came to Trinity Home, to 
spend a few days with Miss Haygood, Miss Mc- 
Clelland, Miss Muse, Miss Atkinson, Miss Hughes, 
and Miss Hamilton. This is a busy family. All 
are constantly at work, in the school, among the 
women, or in the study of Chinese. This fore- 
noon I spent with Miss Atkinson at two of her 
schools. We took jinrikishas, having a long dis- 
tance before us, and went through many dirty 
streets to the dingy rooms where the day-schools 
are located. It would seem that the choice was 
made in favor of dark places. Here the sunshine 
is hardly seen, and the hearts black with sin have 
never heard of the "Light of the world." The 
schools of America are not found in such un- 
wholesome corners. Many of us were taught in 
unpretentious houses, but these were open to sun- 
light, and perhaps were surrounded by trees, 
grass, and flowers. The Chinese houses where 
our day-schools are found have nothing in them 
to be desired, save souls. The windows are few 
and small, because the evil spirits are on the look- 
out for an entering place ; and once in, the family 
has great difficulty in getting rid of them. As on 



Schools aiid Homes in Shaug-hai. 131 

o 

the western extremity of this continent nineteen 
hundred years ago the poor had the gospel 
preached to them, so to-day in China the lost 
are sought, without respect to outside attractions. 
Again the poor have the gospel. 

Miss Atkinson began with the Catechism, and 
after great painstaking several in both schools 
showed a good understanding of the lesson. The 
Bible lesson followed. Chinese children have an 
astonishing gift in memorizing, having been trained 
in this particular from the beginning. I have been 
told that the main test of education throughout 
the empire is in committing to memory the books 
of Confucius; and though there are almost un- 
numbered volumes, many of the Chinese are able 
to recite perfectly the entire writings of the great 
teacher. One of Miss Atkinson's little scholars, 
not quite five years old, knows one thousand of 
these perplexing Chinese characters; besides, she 
repeats many chapters in the New Testament, both 
Catechisms, and page after page of the literature 
of her own language, such as a Confucian book 
on etiquette, and another on morals. She stops 
only when Miss Atkinson says so ; and she is one 
of many. 

The Chinese teachers set one of the schools to 
studying, the peculiarity of which was amazing. 



132 Zxticrs from the Orient. 

All joined in chorus. They were not at work at 
the same lesson, but they bazvled together, keep- 
ing good time — a howling chant, or intoning in 
concert. A school can be heard at a long dis- 
tance. WTien the pupil is ready to try his memory', 
he ''backs'' his book — that is, rises and stands 
with his back to the book, and undertakes to repeat 
what he has studied. When the time for recita- 
tion comes, he ''backs" the teacher. It is said 
that children commit the " characters,*' or Chinese 
words, to memon.-, not understanding a sign: it is 
simply a matter of sight and memor}-. WTien 
about ten or t\velve years old, explanations are 
made, and the meaning begins to dawn upon their 
minds. There are eight}- thousand (more or less) 
"characters" in the language. It is wonderful 
that the little eyes which have been at work or 
plav but five or six vears can be trained to recog:- 
nize such complicated signs. 

November iS. 
This is the Sabbath. No notice is taken of the 
da}', except among Christians. The markets, 
shops, counting-rooms, the trades all going; ped- 
dlers, shoe-makers, sen-ing-women, house-builders, 
"hewers of wood and drawers of water," are at 
work with the same speed of other davs. With 
our missionaries it is likewise a busv dav. This 



Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 133 

afternoon I went with Miss Atkinson and Miss 
Lipscomb to their three o'clock Sunday-school in 
a village outside of Shanghai. Their "Bible- 
woman" always accompanies them. About fifty 
poor women and children met us, in a hut, with- 
out floors, without windows, and into which the 
sunlight rarely shines. My heart went out to these 
poor creatures, who had never in their lives had a 
good thing. They are so poor and wretched that 
they do not know the meaning of joy. All the 
world needs the blood of Jesus, but I felt that these 
hopeless ones must be told the story of abounding 
grace. How can we claim its blessing unless we 
help to send the tidings to such as these? We 
prayed and sung and talked, rejoicing that we 
were chosen to give them their first glimpse of the 
cross. The time was too short to tell the won- 
drous love of Jesus. They begged us to stay all 
night, saying that they had a bed and would buy 
us beef, thus offering us their hospitality accord- 
ing to the fullness of their hearts. It was possible 
that they were without meat, because they were 
vegetarians, as many Buddhists are. Such will on 
no account eat flesh or take the life of any animal. 
This is reckoned highly meritorious. I met an old 
woman in Hang-chow v/ho likes the "Jesus doc- 
trine," but will not accept it because this merit of 



134 Letters from the Orient. 

hers — abstinence from meat for fifty years — must be 
discarded. If she could have one and hold to the 
other, she would gladly acknowledge Christ. When 
we left the hut the women and children escorted 
us for some distance — perhaps a quarter of a mile 
— beseeching us to "go slowly" and to come again. 
[I afterward found that the Chinese commonly 
escort a guest a short distance on the way home. 
Several times Miss Atkinson's schools — every 
child, headed by the teachers — conducted us to 
the outer gate or doqr on leaving them.} 

f r* November 19, 

I went with Miss Haygood to-day to one of her 
schools for boys. How she labored to impress 
the word of God upon their hearts ! It is on the 
lips of the boys. They too know chapters by the 
score. She was not satisfied until she found they 
understood. Perhaps the most difficult lesson a 
Chinaman learns is that he is a sinner. Sin is an 
unknown thing to his heart. He has the right to 
do as he pleases, so that he is not discovered. 
Miss Haygood endeavored to show these boys that 
they are sinners, and that for them, as well as for 
the world, there is but one hope. Their fathers 
do not believe it, but God grant that the children 
early learn the sinfulness of sin ! The Holy Ghost 
can and will "convince the world of sin" if we 



Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 135 

are "instant in season, out of Season." What 
hopes hang on our faithfulness? China believes 
herself "whole," needing no Physician: she will 
perhaps never "feel her need of him," unless zvc 
rise to the summit of self-sacrifice and devote our- 
selves to confronting the power of sin in that land. 
We wound up the morning with an arithmetic les- 
son. The younger boys had their second black- 
board exercise. How eager each boy for his turn ! 
how laborious to catch every curve and angle of 
Miss Haygood's figures! Such a rubbing out and 
putting back, till each little fellow thought he had 
made an exact imitation ! How they smiled at com- 
mendation ! Afterward the large boys added up 
long columns of numbers as fast as Miss Haygood 
wrote. I doubt not that many of them, although 
they came from the poorest homes, will become 
useful in their generation as Christians, as citizens, 
as business men. If the gospel had not found 
them, they would continue in the darkness where 
they were born. The truth as it is in Jesus will 
transform them; civilization has never done it. 
The cross of Christ is the only power that changes 
men's lives: in this alone is our hope for the boys 
and girls who occupied our thoughts during this 
brief visit at Trinity Home. There is, of course, 
a larger outcome from the boarding-schools than 



136 Letters from the Orient. 

from the others. The boy must soon begin to 
earn money, and the girl must not be on the street 
much after she is twelve years old. Thus we lose 
■• — to our short sight it looks so — our day-scholars. 
But in the boarding-school the influence extends 
through years, and we often obtain such a hold on 
our girls that they are ours for life, even though 
they become wives and mothers. It was provi- 
dential that schools became a part of missionary 

work. 

November 20. 

I spent to-day with Miss Muse in Clopton School. 
The first thought was that with which I closed 
3^esterday's diary. The difference between the 
girls on the street and those in Clopton School 
(or in Miss Rankin's, or Miss Philips's, or Miss 
Roberts's care) is such that no opposer of educa- 
tion as a means to Christian training could stand 
against this "object-lesson." Our girls look to 
be a high class of Chinese, whereas they come 
from the same homes and training as the thousands 
that pass us every day on the streets. These have 
stepped upon a higher plane. Whereas before 
they knew nothing better than "envy, murder, de- 
ceit, malignity," being "backbiters, haters of God, 
proud, inventors of evil things, without under- 
standing, covenant-breakers, without natural af- 



Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 137 

fection, implacable, unmerciful," they begin to 
desire to be well-pleasing to the Lord God. 

The first visit I made was to the sewing-room, 
where Miss Muse examined the work of the previ- 
ous evening, which had been in charge of the Chi- 
nese teacher. Here our girls make every thing 
they w^ear, even their shoes, which are altogether 
unlike ours. The older girls sew well, very well. 
They are at this time making me a suit of Chinese 
clothing — the shoes, socks, trousers, skirt, and 
blouse. The little stitches are as beautiful as any 
American hand-sewing of to-day. God bless the 
dear fingers, and find them heavenly employment ! 
After awhile may they "fetch and carry" for 
their country-women, leading them to Jesus Christ 
the Lord ! From the work-room I went into one 
of the recitation-rooms, where we had the Bible 
lesson from Hebrews x. The chapter was read; 
then, according to custom, each read the verse she 
had selected and made her own comment. Miss 
Muse and I took our turn, she choosing the twenty- 
second verse and I the first clause of the thirty- 
eighth. 

The physiology study followed. The lesson 
was on bones, and for an hour the class was well 
drilled. Miss Muse has also put the Church Dis- 
cipline in the school. A new thing under the sun ! 



138 Letteis from the Orient. 

Dr. Parker has completed the translation of the 
Discipline of 1886. The school-girls are to com- 
mit to memory the baptismal vows, and the ritual 
for reception of members into the Church. Is 
there a school in America that studies the Disci- 
pline ? 

November 21. 

I went with Miss Atkinson to two other schools, 

which consist of the poorest-looking children that 

I have seen, even in China. "Tattered and 

torn" though they be, they are learning the same 

great truths so dear to our hearts. 

November 23. 

Miss Haygood's remaining schools occupied us 
this morning. One of them was well filled with 
fine-looking boys. They do not know it, but they 
are reaching the crisis of life : their future is be- 
ing settled, their characters forming, and soon it 
will be known what manner of men they will be. 

This afternoon our native Christian women, and 
a few outside friends, came to afternoon tea with 
me, according to previous invitation. Well-nigh 
fifty Chinese were present. We chatted, drank 
tea, and ate sponge-cake ; a little later on we had 
a service of prayer and song. A very few had 
been invited who are still devoted to their idols. 
They seemed to enjoy our simple entertainment. 



Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 139 

and were even affectionate in manner toward us. 
I could not rid myself of the painful sight of their 
bound feet. They hobble about in ungraceful 
gait. Those who were with us to-day have passed 
the time of suffering; though, except the working- 
women, whose feet are not bound so tightly, none 
of them could walk, as we do, for miles. The en- 
durance of little girls is touching : woman is taught 
the lesson of fortitude from babyhood. What will 
she be after awhile, when it becomes Christian en- 
durance ? She is learning patience by the things 
which she suffers, and when her entire being is 
sanctified by the incoming of a "better hope," 
what a power Chinese women will become ! 

November 24. 
I spent the morning with Miss Hughes in her 
school-work. She was very earnest in her Bible 
lesson, and won the attention of her children. She 
asked, among other questions, "How is it that 
God sees you all the time?" and had for reply, 
"His eye is never tired," and, "Because he is 
high in heaven." They are learning, they are 
learning. After awhile many of these will be 
teachers as well as doers of the word. In the 
afternoon I went with Miss Atkinson to visit at the 
homes of some of her pupils. We found no floors 
— every woman whom we saw lived on the ground. 



140 Letters from the 07'ient. 

I saw no clean tables, chairs, nor beds; no clean 
clothes nor sunlight. The rooms were filthy and 
dark, because there had been no "cleaning up" 
for years, and no windows for fear evil spirits 
would gain entrance. Little do they know that 
their hearts are already the dwelling-place of le- 
gions of devils, and that One is waiting to flood 
their homes and their souls with sunshine. Poor and 
soiled-looking as our several hostesses were, every 
one presented us with the conventional cup of tea, 
and several with an addition of candy. I found 
it difficult to partake of these hospitalities, but suc- 
ceeded in satisfying the demands to a moderate 
degree. Miss Atkinson could talk Chinese, and 
so prove herself satisfactory; but I had no such 
accomplishment to rely upon, and accordingly was 
compelled to take tea from doubtful china. 

November 26. 
This afternoon Professor Bonnell took us to the 
cemetery, a beautiful spot, where only foreigners 
are buried. We wished to stand once again by 
Miss Rankin's grave. We expect to stand with 
her on Mount Zion; and with us, in that multitude 
whom no man can number, will be many of these 
thousands whom I pass from day to day. 

November 27. 

I received a few days ago cards in Chinese style 



Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 141 

— all red — inviting me to an afternoon feast in a 
native home. Miss Hamilton, Miss Hughes, and 
Miss Muse accepted for themselves and me ; and 
to-day, when the hour arrived, we started in jin- 
rikishas, escorted by the little son of Mrs. Psoh, 
who met us at the entrance of the court that leads 
to her house. She was profuse in her welcome, 
as etiquette demanded, and as rapidly as her 
"salaams" would permit she escorted us to the 
reception-room, which was highly adorned with 
scarlet hangings. The "most straitest" chairs 
awaited us, where we sat upright, without leaning 
to either right or left, for three hours, the period 
we were at the table. There were fourteen 
courses, besides fruits, conserves, nuts, tea, cocoa, 
and a hot drink made of grated almonds. We 
began with sharks' fins, which were eatable; one 
course was doves' eggs; another duck, cured as 
we do ham. Champagne was handed at one stage 
of the feast, which we were allowed to decline. 
Our hostess was cheerful and dignified. Several 
times she proposed, according to Chinese custom, 
to have towels wrung from boiling water handed 
us in place of napkins, but yielded to the advice 
of a servant who had had foreifjn training. How- 
ever, at the close, a shining brass basin filled with 
hot water, and towels, were brought in for our use. 



142 Letters from the Orient. 

November 29. 

To-day I made a call, where I saw what I think 
must be the most beautiful embroideries in Shang- 
hai. These people have the perseverance, energy, 
taste, and delicate touch to become the most skilled 
of workmen in the things that perish. What will 
they be when they take hold of eternal life ! 

It is raining as I write. As I look from my win- 
dow I see great rain-coats of straw, exactly like 
the pictures in my little geography forty years 
ago. Indeed, the hats, sedan-chairs, the immense 
hampers suspended* from bamboo-rods resting 
on the coolies' shoulders, the pagodas, the fans 
and parasols, are the patterns used in the school- 
books of my childhood. Fashions in China do 
not change. 

The chrysanthemums ! The half had not been 
told. We have nothing of their size in America. 
Great balls of gorgeous colors, they are almost or 
quite as large as our sunflower. They attain to 
such beauty and size because one stalk and one 
chrysanthemum only are allowed to grow from a 
root; every other is pinched off . 

I went to-day inside the walled city of Shanghai. 
This Chinese city has not improved by the great 
"object-lesson " in the English and American con- 
cessions. Clean streets and good order have not 



Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 143 

impressed them. Two friends living there came 
for Miss Haygood, Miss McClelland, and myself, 
and actually led us by the hand through the streets 
of the old city, as though they would protect us 
from the soiled and rough men, the odors, the 
sights, the tilth, and the sounds. My conductor 
scarcely let go of me after we entered behind the 
walls. Probably she thought that, pressed by the 
crowds, I might be lost or alarmed. They took 
us to the shops and helped us to make a few pur- 
chases. We bought beautifully carved peach- 
stones, cherry-stones, olive-stones — one set of the 
eighteen Buddhas is very handsome ; a bamboo 
vase, carvings within carvings, is exquisite. Our 
shopping over, we went to the temples; to see a 
juggler; to visit a bride just arrived in her hus- 
band's house — her long, thick, red silk veil still 
concealing her face; to see silk-weaving; to a 
paper manufactory; and finally ended our sight- 
seeing at their home with a cup of tea. One of 
these friends presented me with two or three hun- 
dred "cash" strung together on a red cord, form- 
ing a sword-shaped weapon, gayly trimmed with 
different colored silks. She is a Christian woman, 
and therefore I cannot accuse her of giving it 
to me for "good luck." The Chinese consider 
this device as bringing good luck to any house- 



144 Letters from the Orient. 

hold. Our friends escorted us home, making them- 
selves altogether agreeable. We had brushed 
against beggars in rags, men in silks, children by 
the score, idlers, busy people, coolies with their 
heavy burdens, the clean and the unclean. All 
sorts of smells — burning incense, which is agree- 
able, and Chinese odors which are execrable — met 
our olfactories. We saw smiles and tears, the 
blue heavens and the filthiest of streets. The 
mixture, strange as it may seem, made a pleasant 
afternoon. A Chinese city is a wonder. 

Our stay draws to a close. We have spent- two 
delightful months. The weather has been golden ; 
our friends hospitable, devoted. We expect to sail 
on December i, in the "Thames," for Hong- 
kong, Singapore, the Straits Settlements, Ceylon, 
and Calcutta. The missionary outlook is encour- 
aging. The harvest has not been large, but the 
seed are springing up, and very soon we may ex- 
pect thirty-fold, and after awhile sixty and a hun- 
dred-fold. In Japan God is giving us opportunity 
to-day which, if not accepted, will be lost to us and 
perhaps lost to them forever. But here we can 
better afford to be slower, because every thing 
in China moves slowly. It would seem that fifty 
thousand converts in little less than a century is 
a very small return for the outlay of the Christian 



. Schools and Homes in Shanghai. 145 

world; We progress, but our advance is slow; 
perhaps because we have not done our best. The 
five loaves and two fishes fed the thousands, and 
there was enough and to spare ; but our Lord added 
his blessing after a// was given up. We must give 
all if we expect the heathen world to be gathered 
among God's elect. 

I have been looking over a book on etiquette 
that Miss Atkinson translated for me. The girls 
and women are told that they must talk but little ; 
they must retire to their private apartments as soon 
as a visitor to the men of the family arrives ; young 
wives must be very attentive and obedient to their 
mothers-in-law, early and late answering their calls, 
even helping them to dress in the morning, and 
otherwise waiting upon them with cheerfulness; 
and never wanting their own way, nor for a mo- 
ment doubting the wisdom of those who are at the 
head of the house. Young women must not re- 
ceive presents from a brother-in-law, nor look 
behind when they walk, nor shake the foot 
when sitting; and they must always rise early 
enough to hear the chickens crow. The devotion 
of the women of olden time is recounted: One 
gave her life for her mother-in-law, and several 
died for and made many sacrifices for their hus- 
bands ; one poor mother, having no books nor pa- 
10 



146 Letters from the Orient. 

per, taught her son to read and write by making 
the characters with her fingers in the mud. The 
women are also taught that beautiful things — silks, 
satins, embroideries, gold, and silver — must be seen 
without being desired, unless there is money to 
pay for them ; and that through life plain clothes 
should be preferred. No young wife should ask 
to return to her mother's house till she has been 
married at least six months, and not then if her 
mother-in-law is not willing. Much more is writ- 
ten in this book, much that is quite good, while 
much would not be of value to us. I trust that 
you will give devoted attention to the maxims of 
an old Book which you have studied ever since 
you learned to read. Au revoir. 



LETTER XIY. 

SUPERSTITIONS, CRIMES, AND BEGGARY OF THE CHINESE- 
SOME OF THEIR FASHIONS AND PUNISHMENTS. 

Shanghai, November, iS88. 

THE Chinese, like all nations without the gos- 
pel, are a prey to very foolish superstitions. 
They have days lucky and unlucky. The break- 
ing of a dish, a trifling slip of the foot, an unfort- 
unate visit, are the harbingers of family difficulties. 
One is fortunate or unfortunate according to the 
star under which he was born, or the hour of his 
birth ; and neither burial nor marriage can take 
place unless the geomancer declares it propi- 
tious. I have been told that children are often 
destroyed by parents because of coming under 
unlucky circumstances, and I have seen hundreds 
of dead left unburied because the soothsayer dis- 
covered untoward combinations of the heavens and 
the earth. 

When Dr. A. P. Parker built his clock-tower, a 
family in the neighborhood was bereaved. On 
consultation with the necromancer, it was found 
that the Fung-Shui (an indefinable something that 
influences the fortunes of families, communities, 
and the empire) was offended by the tower. 

(U7) 



148 Letters from the Orient. 

Whether in the water or in the air, he moves in 
straight lines, and to be compelled to turn aside by 
an object standing in his way is exceedingly irri- 
tating to his worshipful dignity: so exasperating, 
indeed, that he must needs wreak his vengeance 
on the neighborhood, instead of blowing away the 
offending cause with a puff of the breath. In this 
instance application for redress was made to the 
governor, who wisely said that he who discovered 
the evil must find the remedy. The soothsayer 
was so reasonable as to counteract the disturbance 
without pulling down the clock. He erected sev- 
eral high poles in a line with the suffering house- 
hold and Dr. Parker's building, which to this day re- 
main, and continue to drive off the evil spirits which 
were provoked to serious mischief by the tower. 

When in Suchow I tried to purchase some fans, 
and in one of the shops found a clerk who was 
singularly unwilling to show me his goods. The 
Chinese are usually indifferent, and it is difficult to 
have a sight of the contents of the shelves. One 
is always asked, "What color do you want? what 
design? what quality?" and any other questions 
that can be devised. Then, only the color, or pat- 
tern, or texture asked for is shown. It is not as 
with the American dealer, who suggests and adds 
to what is called for. After the customer has 



Chinese Suj^ersiitions. 149 

looked at the article designated, if he wants to see 
other shades or qualities of the same he must be 
e^licit in his description, having not the least 
proposition from the dealer. This Suchow pro- 
prietor exceeded in reserve any other that I had 
met. Our young Chinese " go-betw^een " could 
not get a fan from him. At length he said we 
must leave the shop because the man was in terror 
of me. I had disturbed the Fung-Shui, and the 
proprietor feared the establishment would be de- 
stroyed if I remained. 

Another clock-tower at the Arsenal, near Shang- 
hai, caused great commotion. On its erection, 
the board of Chinese directors were notified by the 
priest that this foreign innovation would cause the 
death of all the younger brothers of the members 
of the board. Two actually died. Consternation 
seized the families. The building would have 
been razed to the ground had it not been found 
after consultation with the soothsayers that a 
shrine for worship and sacrifice, built in the tow- 
er, would propitiate the avenger. 

Another case in a town not far distant: A 
church with a steeple and gilt rooster on the sum- 
mit of the spire was erected. The wise men fore- 
told ruin to the city. Soon after, the street called 
"Centipede" was burned from end to end. The 



150 Letter's from the Orient. 

remedy of the priest was announced as follows: 
" Roosters eat centipedes, but tigers eat roosters." 
He caused a large painting of a tiger to be placed 
opposite the church. In a few months one of the 
walls of the building fell. Of course the tiger 
did it. 

Our Southern Presbyterian friends at Hang- 
chow some years ago owned property most ad- 
mirably located. But the Fung-Shui became of- 
fended, and nothing less than total destruction 
would appease his wrath. Not one stone was left 
upon another, and the fair buildings and grove be- 
came a ruin. The citizens behaved with great lib- 
erality on the occasion. They presented another 
lot and paid for new buildings, though in a flat sit- 
uation by no means as desirable as the first. 

Mrs. Williamson, in her " Old Highways in Chi- 
na," tells how the entire side of a temple was taken 
down to let the gods at the altar see the dryness of 
the soil, and feel the heat of the noonday sun, 
during a long drought when famine was appre- 
hended. I do not know whether this touch of the 
summer sun melted the hearts of the gods suffi- 
ciently to give the refreshing shower. 

While we were in Suchow a woman entefed 
Dr. Park's hospital in search of the- spirit of her 
child. She had taken him there some months be- 



Chinese Su^ei'stitions. 151 

fore, and since then he had been sick. She knew 
some demon had been offended, and that the spirit 
of the boy was detained in those four walls. She 
examined every corner, closet, shelf, and room, 
calling on the soul to return. Another took her 
baby to Dr. Philips, and as a precautionary meas- 
ure called aloud on the soul to remain where he 
belonged. 

Beggars and thieves are regularly organized. 
They have a king, treasurer, and other officers. A 
fixed sum is paid into the guild by each applicant 
for membership, sometimes as much as thirty dol- 
lars, every member having his share of the profits. 
A peculiar fraternity ! I watched a beggar a few 
days ago. He seated himself on the ground in 
front of Dr. Park's gate. He wore several bands 
of white — badges of mourning — and looked to be 
about twenty-five years of age. He cried at the 
top of his voice, the tears streaming down his face: 
'"My father is dead, my mother is dead, I am a 
poor orphan ; help me, help me ! " Thus he wailed 
one entire afternoon, telling over and over, again 
and again, the same story with a look of the great- 
est anguish. I wondered if he was a member of 
the guild ! 

The Chinaman has a curious plan of vengeance. 
He kills himself to spite his enemy — a reversal of 



152 Letters from the Orient. 

the American order. No injury to a Celestial is so 
great as when the man he hates takes his own life : 
for in the ghostly relation he may distress him in 
his family, or in his business, or in -propria persona 
1 11 the end of life. Nothing can be worse than to 
have the hatred of the dead. Also great ill luck 
comes to the house where a visitor dies. Hence 
if the dearest friend is taken ill from home, the 
host immediately arranges for his return to his own 
family, and the inns are unwilling to receive him 
on the way, The beggar who is spurned becomes 
a power to be dreaded to any household on whose 
premises he may happen to die. 

A coffin is a most acceptable present to the liv- 
ing. John Chinaman becomes so accustomed to 
the sealed casket containing the remains of some 
member of his family, which cannot be laid away 
till the geomancer speaks, that he wants to have 
the care of his own coffin. It is a gift to be cher- 
ished with pride and tenderness. He is content to 
know that this provision is be3^ond a peradventure. 

Ancestral worship stands between China and the 
gospel as nothing else does. This worship of the 
dead of generations back is Satan's strongest hold. 
At regular periods the offerings are made at the 
graves and ancestral tablets, by rich and poor, by 
the male representative of every family in China. 



Chinese Superstitions. 153 

The Emperor on his throne is not exempt. He 
must make sacrifices of the most costly silks, of 
wines and edibles, before the tablets of all his pred- 
ecessors. Otherwise those dead rulers would com- 
bine to send disasters and plagues upon the nation. 
All court officials and every oldest son in every 
family, down to the poorest coolie in the land, 
must worship the dead fathers and mothers of the 
generations that preceded. Whatever he may 
deny himself, he may not deny his ancestors any 
thing requisite for a comfortable living in the spirit- 
land. Rice, clothing, lights, servants, money, and 
houses are as needful there as here : notwithstand- 
ing poverty, all these things and much more must 
be furnished. Fire is the mode of conveyance. 
Burned here, the required goods arrive in the 
world beyond ready for use. The son may have 
been wayward, worthless, disobedient — a vaga- 
bond. What the living parents could not accom- 
plish the dead exact and effect without contro- 
versy. He would not dare refuse honor to the spirit 
that has become so powerful an agent for evil or 
good. Men of the largest wealth, influence, and 
business obligations, down to the menial in the 
kitchen, must be excused from all contracts until 
these rites are performed, at stated periods, for all 
the years of his life. The desire of husbands 



154 Letters from the Orient. 

and wives for sons grows out of this superstition. 
Failing in this, an adopted son may assume the 
duty. A daughter cannot perform this sacred act. 
Perhaps the uselessness of the girls in ancestral 
worship led to female infanticide. The3^were un- 
welcome because they could not lighten the bur- 
dens of the dead. To be rid of them was right- 
eous, while the wife with tears and groans and cries 
besought the goddess of mercy for her boy, which 
could be her hope both here and hereafter. Be- 
sides, the little daughters are so soon claimed by 
their mothers-in-law that they are really of "wc 
?/se" to their parents. 

In addition to ancestral offerings, those spirits 
must be propitiated who left no son or male repre- 
sentative, or those who died unknown, or in for- 
eign lands, or beggars, or the drowned, or any oth- 
ers whose bodies were not recovered. For these 
the generous contribute, so that none on the other 
shore shall be unprovided for, and thus be tempt- 
ed to cause tribulation in the world they left be- 
hind. It is not so much the charitable intent as 
the horrible fear of vengeance that induces the 
opening of the stranger's purse. I saw paper 
horses, boats, houses, jinrikishas, servants, and 
other things, carried along the streets on the way 
to be burned at the ancestral tablets. Is it not 




(155) 



PLACE OF ANCESTRAL WORSHIP. 



Chinese Superstitions. 155 

strange that not one soul from the other side has 
even been of so gentle a disposition as to excuse 
his son from this heavy tax? They exact the 
"pound of flesh" to the utmost, or else they are 
unduly slow in finding a way of communication. 
Even in Tartarus they might find out how to spare 
those who come after these centuries of long- 
drawn-out anxiety and agony. If vengeance can 
be had, why not tenderness? Heathenism does 
not love — heathenism hates ! Jesus crucified is 
the only power that can exalt. All praise for the 
promise: "I, if I be lifted up, will draw all men 
unto me." Does it not mean China? The reve- 
lation of our Lord to this world of sin did not find 
China in more open rebellion than other peoples. 
There have been nations saved by repentance and 
faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. Why not this 
land of black darkness ? Forty or fift}^ thousand 
of these four hundred millions bear the name 
of Jesus. Shall we "despise the day of small 
things?" Not Jerusalem only was it that "killed 
the prophets and stoned them that were sent," and 
not Jerusalem only would Jesus gather to himself 
" as a hen gathers her brood under her wings." 

There is a very large boat population. Hun- 
dreds of thousands, from birth to the grave, know 
no other home. I have watched many of these 



156 Letters fro7n the Orient. 

families. The little ones at play on deck are tied 
to some stationary object, and thus secured from 
danger of falling off. Even the family cat and chick- 
ens are comfortably circumscribed in the same way. 
These fleets of house-boats are little worlds hav- 
ing their regulations and employments, their po- 
lice and municipal laws; and though crowded as 
London houses, each family keeps to its own quar- 
ters, and one community does not interfere with 
another. These many towns in the canals and 
small rivers do not rival beautiful Venice, but in 
their way are quite as interesting. 

We are in the height of the persimmon season: 
a delicious fruit, in size like the orange, and color 
like a ripe tomato. Also the pommelo is a favor- 
ite fruit. I think only a Japanese or John China- 
man knows how to prepare them for the table: 
they are enveloped in a bitter fiber which ruins the 
taste unless carefully removed. The uninitiated 
seem unable to separate the bad from the good. 
The Chinese make a delightful jelly of the haw, 
and indeed many of their culinary productions are 
very nice. It is improbable, however, that Ameri- 
cans would learn to like eggs that have been pre- 
served ten, twenty, fifty years. To-day's i^gg is 
to our taste, while one that has gone through many 
a decade is the delicacy that a Celestial seeks. 



Chinese Superstitions. 157 

Passing a house a few days ago I witnessed a 
quarrel in progress between a man and woman. 
Their loud voices, man};- words, and vigorous 
pounding drew a crowd. At last she grabbed his 
cue and soon got the better of him, such an indig- 
nity bringing him to terms. I doubt if the women 
in China often engage in a street brawl. They 
are taught submission from early childhood, and 
have very little controversy with their husbands; I 
have heard that a mild type of domestic satisfaction 
exists. Betrothals take place at so early an age that 
the little husband and wife do not remember when 
they did not belong to each other, nor do they have 
opportunity to know whether compatibility is a 
thing possible. A betrothal is as binding as a 
marriage. During the time that the matter is un- 
der consideration, while the horoscopes are not yet 
cast, a trifling accident in the kitchen or china- 
closet of either family will break off negotiations. 
But after a favorable decision is made nothing can 
prevent the consummation. The loss of property, 
or an incurable malady, or a disgusting deformity 
would not be permitted to break off the marriage. 
Unless the little girl be taken by her prospective 
mother-in-law to be brought up under her own 
eye, the bridegroom and his promised wife never 
see each other till the wedding-day, when he sends 



158 Letters from the Orient. 

the gorgeous red bridal chair with a retinue of 
servants to bring her to her new home. She is 
closely veiled in scarlet silk or woolen cloth, which 
is not removed till the first meal under her hus- 
band's roof. Of course there are grievous dis- 
appointments. The young wife may have no 
beauty of face, or be she ever so pretty her spouse 
may not fancy her. It is of greater importance, 
perhaps, that the mother-in-law be pleased, for the 
future probably depends more on her than on him. 
If she becomes the mother of sons, she will be a 
person of consequence; otherwise she will be at 
the mercy of her new relatives, who may or may 
not have agreeable dispositions. As in Japan, she 
may be divorced if she is disobedient to her hus- 
band's mother, or is seen often on the street, or talks 
much. Strange it is that the young master may 
put her away at pleasure after marriage, but must 
under all circumstances hold himself bound during 
the time of betrothal! Perhaps she was bought; 
possibly the two mothers exchanged daughters, 
each having sons ; or may be money actually passed ; 
at any rate, value having been exchanged^ his moth- 
er thinks they must have the equivalent — viz., the 
faithful attention demanded of a daughter-in-law. 
Should the expected bridegroom die before the 
marriage, the little girl is considered a widow, 




(159) 



Fashions mid Punishments. 159 

and becomes a member of his family, who must 
henceforth care for her as though she had been 
married. Sometimes this ceremony is performed 
with the spirit of the departed; and should she 
vow life-time fidelity to him, refusing another mar- 
riage, she is held in high esteem. I saw many 
substantial stone arches on the highway, erected 
in token of great distinction to widows thus devot- 
ing themselves to the memory of the betrothed 
whom perhaps they never saw. She may even 
commit suicide, and thus be counted worthy of all 
honor as the most virtuous of women. 

The deformed feet keep Chinese ladies more or 
less confined at home. Those of the poorer class 
cannot afford to be secluded, for they must earn 
their pittance toward the support of the family. 
Those who need not labor are rarely seen upon 
the streets. Freedom of social life is unknown. I 
suppose that unrestricted friendliness among wom- 
en is impossible: if not impossible, an intimacy is 
an impropriety, and an outing of rare occurrence. 
The dress of the wealthy on special occasions is 
of superb silks, embroideries, and velvets; their 
tiny shoes are of choice needle- work, and I am told 
that they indulge in an excess of jewelry, especial- 
ly to ornament their glossy black hair. I see in 
the shops very expensive beads and pins of jade, 



160 Letters from the Orient, 

of gold; and silver; and on the streets elaborate 
imitations of the same. They wear nothing like 
our bonnets and hats. The top of the head is un- 
covered. They sometimes have across the fore- 
head a stiff black silk band which takes the place 
of a bonnet. They consider our head-gear an im- 
itation of masculine fashion. 

Young men do not let their beard grow. When 
a man is forty years old, if he have sons he need 
not shave his mustache. One of our native pastors 
told me that he was very proud when that auspi- 
cious day dawned, and lost no time in thus show- 
ing that he had arrived at so respectable a period 
of life. The aged are esteemed for their years' 
sake. Hence it is very polite to ask a person in 
middle life his or her age. As youth speaks for 
itself, it is probable that the young are not ques- 
tioned on this subject. My age has been inquired 
into very often. I was greatly surprised when 
these particulars were asked of me the first time, 
but I soon became accustomed to the courteous 
query, and learned to return the obliging atten- 
tion of the natives by asking with equal complai- 
sance concerning their "most honorable age." 

The Chinaman greets his friends by shaking his 
own hand. They meet with the most cordial saluta- 
tion of hand-shaking, but each man shakes his own 



JFashibns and Pu7iishmcnts. 161 

and not his neighbor's hand. Their code of eti- 
quette, as vv'ith the Japanese, is very elaborate. 
While this may be tiresome to an earnest worker, 
I doubt not it is true that one cannot gain entrance 
into the most refined homes unless some attention 
is paid to their forms. The poor are reached by 
sympathy. True, the word of God can take hold 
of the heart with or without human aid. But also 
our Lord makes use of us, of our peculiarities, our 
talents, our failures, the words we speak, our omis- 
sions and commissions, our prayers, our faith, our 
money, in convincing our neighbors and those afar 
off of the truth of the religion of the Lord Jesus 
Christ. It may be that our missionaries will have 
the opportunity to carry the good tidings of God's 
love to idolatrous households by attention to some 
little detail of etiquette that will first attract good- 
will and afterward gain genuine affection. If 
"tall oaks from little acorns grow," and "bits in 
the horse's mouth" enable us to guide the animal, 
and a "very small helm " turns about a ship "driv- 
en of fierce winds," and a "great matter" is kin- 
dled by a "little fire," may not families in China 
be rescued by heeding some innocent prejudice? 

The Chinese are cruel in their punishments. 
Many illegal tortures are permitted. Those which 
are legal are often revolting. The thumb-screw 
11 



162 Letters from the Orient. 

of the Inquisition, though in another form and by 
another name, is in use; also a similar compress 
for the ankle. Among those in use, but unauthor- 
ized, are striking the lips until lacerated, burning 
the lingers, chaining the hands under the knees 
and thus bending the body double, nailing the 
hands to boards, kneeling on broken glass, and 
many more devices that it required considerable 
ingenuity to invent. A common punishment which 
is seen upon the streets often is the ''cangue," a 
vvrooden frame worn around the neck, too broad 
for the hands to reach the mouth, so that the crimi- 
nal is dependent for his meals upon the kind offices 
of others. John eats, holding the bowl of rice 
close to his mouth and shoveling in the food with 
chopsticks. I suppose some good-natured person 
in passing helps the poor fellow bearing the yoke 
of the cangue to shove his rice into his mouth. 

There are two modes of beheading — decapita- 
tion by a single blow, and decapitation by piece- 
meal. Criminals are sometimes left to die by 
starvation. I heard of a cruel torture "long drawn 
out," which I suppose was illegal. The offender 
is placed in a wire gauze frame fitting tightly to 
the person — so tight that the flesh protrudes 
through the wire until the blood oozes from hun- 
dreds of pores. I heard of a little girl whose mis- 




(163) 



IN THE CANGUE. 



Fashions and Punishnicnis. 163 

tress pinched her flesh from time to time with red- 
hot pinchers. You have read of the cruel use of 
the bamboo in the punishment of criminals. It is 
said that prisoners under sentence of death some- 
times meet their doom by being securel}^ bound 
down over the bamboo-shoot, which grows so rap- 
idly that it passes through his body in a day ! 

How can one who believes in the love of Jesus 
and desires to live in constant realization of the 
same, and who seeks to grow up into him as the 
most blessed condition attainable on earth — how 
can such refuse to help give the gospel to China 
and Japan? He who made the universe com- 
mands us to "go into all the world;" and yet 
some, knowing well that they cannot make a blade 
of grass, nor "provide for the raven his food," nor 
send rain "upon the just or the unjust," nor "bind 
the sweet influences of the Pleiades," undertake 
to say how far God's grace shall extend toward 
the workmanship of his own hands. 

Time moves apace. These interesting days are 
fast passing. To say that I have been impressed 
by our mission work and its needs is a very mild 
expression of my sensations. Our opportunities 
and the failure of the Church to meet her obliga- 
tions are almost overwhelming. May God stir us 
until we do with our might what he has placed in 



164 Letters from the Orient, 

our charge ! The responsibiHty is ours, for to us 
have come calls upon calls to undertake newwork. 
Besides, our missionaries need our sympathy and 
prayers. They give themselves and their all to 
these people, leaning upon God. No arm of flesh 
is near from which they may hope for aid. Their 
people have not learned to love. A few who have 
come to know eternal life are learning to love; 
and after awhile, v/hen many are brought to the 
knowledge of the grace of the Lord Jesus, our 
missionaries will have near them Christian friends 
on whom to rely. Now, they have but their homes 
and their work. Outside, there are none to re- 
joice when they rejoice, or weep when they weep. 
The poorest circuit in America has within its 
bounds those who sympathize with the minister in 
joy and sorrow: if death invades his family, there 
are hands to help and words of affection to soothe. 
But in a heathen land, in the hour of anguish, un- 
less a missionary brother be near, no aid nor love 
from beyond his own four walls is offered. At 
happy seasons of the year — Christmas and birth- 
days — no outside token of remembrance comes; 
on the contrary, our brethren give all and receive 
naught. Their members are poor, and must be 
helped. If there is a wedding or a funeral, they 
must aid in providing the outfit for the bridal and for 



Fashibns and Punishments. 1G5 

the burial of the dead. As the preacher tells of 
the cross of Christ he must rescue many a poor 
family from famine and disease. Let the Church- 
members in America forbear criticism and give 
their sympathy to their representatives across the 
Pacific. 

When thoughtful men tell us that the best oppor- 
tunities for saving China are to be found in the inte- 
rior, it is not meant that the work in the treaty-ports 
should be relinquished. Perhaps as Christians grow 
from within outward — first the heart, then the life is 
changed — so it may be that this heathen land must 
be begotten from its great centers, ere we shall see 
the fringes of the empire becoming the "Bride of 
the Lamb." But by no means can our workers 
be withdrawn from the coast cities. In these lat- 
ter are found the heathen who, in addition to the 
idolatrous practices of centuries, are besotted with 
the sins of Western life. The workers from the 
various Missionary Boards of the world must stand 
a solid phalanx in Shanghai, Hong-kong, and 
other sea-ports, striving against all sin, whether 
native or foreign. If they do not hold the borders, 
there will soon be no centers of Christian work. I 
hold that while the one field must be cultivated the 
other cannot be left to run to weeds. Let every 
hill-top and hamlet of Japan, and all these mill- 



166 Letters fro7n the Orient. 

ions and millions of China, feel the power of the 
death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. 

The markets are full of fish, bamboo- roots, lotus- 
bulbs, sharks' fins, ducks' tongues, sea-slugs, per- 
simmons, and very fine vegetables. Those who can 
afford to buy do so; but I rather enjoy walking 
through to see what there is and watch the buj'^ers. 
The migratory kitchen is found in the market- 
house as well as on the streets. Foreigners can- 
not market successfully, because "the tricks which 
are vain" are "peculiar" to this trade. The cook 
does the marketing ; and while our friends and all 
foreigners know that they pay his commission, yet 
the cost is not equal to what it would be if they 
undertook the business. 

I add a list of boys' names — not such as are 
familiar to you : True Blessing, Everlasting Life, 
Piece of Happiness, Two Precious, Sixth Pre- 
cious, Next Precious, Gold Penny, Little Brother, 
Heaven's Gift, Seventh Sister, Happy Nine. The 
last was born on the ninth day of the ninth month ; 
Sixth Precious was the sixth son; and Seventh 
Sister was so named because, being a feeble infant, 
it was thought the evil spirit would pass him by, if 
he could be made to think the baby a girl. The 
ruse succeeded — the demon was stupid enough to 
believe in the name. 



Fashions and Punishments. 167 

The girls comb their hair according to the fash- 
ion of centuries gone. Besides shaving in circles 
and quadrangles, they brush the entire suit of hair 
to one side, coiling it immediately over the ear; 
or dividing it in two, they have a coil over each 
ear. When these twists are ornamented with the 
fine large chrysanthemums, the face is broader 
than long. 

In Suchow I wondered why the little children on 
the street so often shut their eyes, holding on to 
their friends. I specially remember a handsome 
boy who, carried astride his father's shoulder, 
looked at us, then closed his eyes quickly, hiding 
his face on his father's head; after awhile he 
peeped and shut his eyes, which was repeated 
several times. We walked behind him for a mile, 
the little fellow first examining the foreign lady 
with light hair and eyes, and then, as if fright- 
ened, hiding his face. Upon inquiry, I learned 
that children are taught that the * 'Jesus people" 
take all the eyes they can steal to make a medicine 
which affects the native mind so that the new re- 
ligion is forced upon a man without his consent. 
They cannot believe that one would voluntarily 
renounce Confucius and Buddha for the "new 
doctrine" — there must be some witchcraft in the 
proceedings. 



168 Letters from the Orient. 

The Prime-minister of China is a man of intel- 
lect and broadening views. It is to be expected 
that he will elevate the State. Let us pray that the 
Holy Ghost may take hold of him, and enlighten 
his understanding so that he may with wisdom 
direct the great questions which must soon be 
settled. In all China there are but two hundred 
miles of railroads. The superstitions of the people 
have hindered, their fear of the Fung-Shui having 
prevailed against all attempts to improve the mode 
of travel. But a better day is coming. Not many 
years hence railroads will traverse the whole em- 
pire, and that will mean a missionary in every 
community. There are not a dozen newspapers 
in China. After awhile the press will become a 
power; and while infidels and politicians will have 
access to the columns of all publications, so also 
will the heralds of the cross be able to speak with 
confidence and boldness of the reason for the hope 
that is in them. 

Will you not keep this great empire in your 
thoughts, and in the years to come let your influ- 
ence be directed toward the salvation of the na- 
tions now in darkness? God's gift is eternal life. 
Is it not of value ? Can you compute its worth to 
you? Would it not be of equal value to China's 
millions ? Will not you and your friends and your 



Pashions and Punishments. 169 

friends' friends, as you think of your blessedness 
in His kingdom on earth and the glory which will 
be revealed, also help to tell the story to those 
who are so far off that only the Holy Ghost can 
reach them — remembering that the Holy Spirit 
chooses "earthen vessels" to carry the priceless 
treasure? Are not you your brother's keeper? 



I 



LETTER XY. 

THE VOYAGE TO INDIA— SIGHTS ON SEA AND LAND. 

Straits of Malacca, December 12, 1888. 

WE left Shanghai late in the afternoon of No- 
vember 30, our friends going to the steam- 
launch to bid us hon voyage. They are dear to us. 
God bless them and cause his face to shine upon 
them ! If the shining of his face be upon their 
work, it will not be long before they are a thousand 
times as many as they now number. China counts 
her hundreds of millions, and surely America will 
desire Christianity to count tens of thousands of 
Chinese converts in the near future. Do you say 
amen ? The Lord grant that you may pray with- 
out ceasing, "Thy kingdom come," so long as you 
live! If you should live "threescore years and 
ten," how many "golden vials full of incense, 
which are the prayers of saints," will be stored in 
the Eternal Mind as part of your guerdon ! 

Notwithstanding the cold was very severe the 
afternoon we left Shanghai, Professor Bonnell, 
Mr. Burke, and Mr. Arthur Allen went with us to 
the "Thames," which was anchored eighteen or 
twenty miles from the city. At 10 p.m. they left 
(170) 



Voyag-c to India. 171 

us, and by daylight next morning we were at sea, 
with our faces turned toward the south. The bit- 
ing cold continued for thirty hours, but by the 
time we reached Hong-kong, almost at the south- 
ern extremity of the Chinese coast, we realized 
that December could be as pleasant as May. The 
soft air, green grass, luxuriant trees, and the gay- 
colored flowers quite banished the wintery blast 
from our thoughts. 

Hong-kong is a beautiful island, belonging to 
the English, and but a short distance from the main- 
land. The buildings, public and private, are mass- 
ive and fine-looking. There are first-class roads 
and gardens handsomely laid off and cultivated. 
An immense amount of money has been invested. 
The city lies along the base and sides of steep, 
high hills, up which walks and carriage-drives lead 
to the summit. We climbed the hills, went into 
the shops, and walked in the shade of the avenues 
of trees. We took jinrikishas to the " Happy Val- 
ley," the English cemetery — a beautiful cove in the 
mountain-side, full of exquisite tropical trees and 
plants. It does indeed look like a resting-place. 
Next to it is a Mohammedan cemetery, of which 
I can only say it is a flace. 

Chairs borne on the shoulders of coolies are 
more in use in Hong-kong than jinrikishas, owing 



172 Letters from the Orient. 

to the very steep hills. The carriers trot along at 
an even pace, except when the road approaches a 
perpendicular. Some of the private chairs are 
very handsome, the bearers in livery. We were 
there but two days while our steamer was loading 
for England, whither she was bound. 

We did not go to Canton, which is near. I 
should like to have seen the embroidered crapes on 
the spot where they are wrought, and for memory 
of Morrison, who in the early part of this century 
was hidden away for twenty years in Canton — hid- 
den because, had he, a Christian believer and 
teacher, been found his life would have been for- 
feited. Here in the darkness he worked all those 
years, giving to those who have succeeded him the 
Chinese Dictionary. All missionaries who have 
come after him have built on his foundation, nor 
could they have built without it. 

The heat increased as we steamed southward, 
but the sea was smooth and the skies blue. While 
seated at dinner the day before arriving at Singa- 
pore we were startled by the cry, "Man over- 
board!" In a mom.ent the saloon was emptied, 
and all crowded to the taffrail. A life-boat was 
sent out and the steamer put back. The poor fel- 
low, a Malay sailor, was not to be seen, though his 
screams were heard. He went to the bottom. 



Voyage to India. 173 

Singapore is but a little over a degree from the 
equator, so that the heat is intense the year round. 
The singing of birds never ceases, frost is not 
known, and perennial green crowns every hill-top 
and valley. 

We went ashore and drove in a "gharry" to 
the Botanical Gardens. The road lay for three 
miles through groves of palms and the seats of the 
foreign gentry residing on the island. The Gar- 
dens are very beautiful. Rolling land, a heavy 
greensward shorn till it looked as smooth and as 
soft as velvet, lakes, parterres of flowers of the 
richest hues, palms of all sorts, the cocoa-nut, date, 
pine-apple, betel-nut, banana, fan, sago, cabbage, 
umbrella, bread-fruit, and other species with bo- 
tanical names that I do not recall — drives and 
walks all in perfect order — made a picture to be 
remembered. Added to the lovely sight, we 
had a pleasant breeze which tempered the heat 
of a tropical sun. We strolled about for some 
two hours, and then returned to the town, where 
we bought from a peripatetic commissariat some 
sliced pine-apples which were more delicious than 
any I had ever eaten . They are totally different from 
those we eat in America, a thousand miles or more 
from where they grow. I shall never want them 
unless I get them directly from their native groves. 



174 Letters from the Orient. 

The palm-tree, in its hundred or more varieties, 
affords the natives in the Straits settlements, and 
in Ceylon, India, and other tropical lands, almost 
all they need. They eat the fruit, weave a cloth 
from its fiber, from the bark and wood make all 
manner of household utensils, manufacture an oil 
which can be used for lighting and culinary pur- 
poses, build their huts and bungalows under its 
shade, and of one of the varieties paper is made. 
Manifold are the uses to which palm-trees are put. 
They are seventy, eighty, one hundred feet high: 
the trunk is bare almost to the crown, where grow 
the long leaves eighteen or twenty feet in length, 
falling over in rich profusion — a tuft of plumes. 
The natives walk up the long trunks with ease. I 
watched them with interest as they set their feet 
upon the trunk, clasping it with their hands above, 
and thus ascended without touching the tree at 
other points of their bodies. 

Both on land and on our steamer in this latitude 
everybody wears the lightest clothing— the gentle- 
men white duck or flannel; ladies are dressed in 
mushns. My one linen dress is in constant use; I 
scarcely spare it while it is in the laundryman's 
hands. I suppose it will be in constant demand 
until we arrive at Calcutta. The Malay mostly 
wears but a waist-cloth besides his turban, or a 




a75^ 



CLIMBING THE PALM-TREE. 



Voyage to India. ' 175 

long shirt, his body bare to the waist — the heat the 
year through being so intense that I suppose since 
the world began he has worn very little clothing. 
The favorite color seems to be bright red, which 
contrasts well with the rich brown skin. The Ma- 
lay women substitute jewelry for our profusion 
of dress: bracelets on the arm and ankle, rings 
in the ear and nose, and on the fingers and toes, 
seem very satisfying to them ; a single garment be- 
sides, and they are dressed. 

The shells for sale in Singapore are very beau- 
tiful. Boat-loads of them, all of exquisite tints, 
and of many sizes and shapes, lay along-side the 
wharves. Your father loves to handle them — they 
are a pleasure to him as roses are to you. 

We will sail to-day ; and I am glad, for the tem- 
perature at sea is reduced. 

December 14. 

We are in the Straits, and in a swell. There is 
a storm off to the south which disturbs our waters. 
The heat is great. Every one who has a white 
suit wears it. The "punkas" are going at 
breakfast, tiffin, four o'clock tea, and dinner. I 
doubt if we could eat without them, unless the 
meals were served on deck; but that would hardly 
be possible. On all the steamers, and in South- 
ern China, in the Malay Peninsula, in Ceylon and 



176 Letters from the Orient. 

India, the punka is a necessity as well as a luxury. 
Labor is so cheap that foreigners of voxy moderate 
means often employ a boy whose work is simply 
to keep in motion these punkas, or fans, which are 
suspended from the ceiling. Men of wealth and 
invalids have them in use almost every night in the 
year, and in many of the English churches they 
are to be found. I should think them very re- 
freshing to those who preach with their might, 
when the thermometer is up in the nineties. 

To-morrow we expect to see Ceylon, the land 
of "spicy breezes." We were on deck early this 
morning, and witnessed a beautiful sunrise. I like 
to be out early before the steamer is awake — of 
course I refer to the passengers; the sailors are 
always at work. 

We are a little farther north, Ceylon being about 
five degrees from the equator: the difference in 
the temperature corresponds, and the heat is so 
slightly less that one might think the "Thames" 
back at Singapore. In a few hours the beautiful 

island will be in sight. 

December 17. 

We landed to-day at Columbo, and found quite a 
familiar look about the city. The hotels and many 
other buildings are similar to our own, while on the 
streets there are scores of people of our complex- 



Voyag-c to India. 177 

ion and dress. The Imperial Hotel where we are 
lodged is crowded with Americans and English. 
I have just returned from the shops, having visited 
them with some ladies to look at the jewels that are 
found there. Sapphires, rubies, and pearls are to 
be seen in large numbers. One of the dealers 
claimed to have the largest and most superb cat's- 
eye in the world — he asks thousands for it. I en- 
joyed the sparkling gems, but gave myself no anx- 
iety about their genuineness. It is said that the 

unskilled should not purchase. 

December i8. 

We drove out to the Cinnamon Garden, where 
hundreds of cinnamon-trees grow. The Museum 
was interesting for its collection of animals and of 
Ceylonese work. There were sharks of tremen- 
dous size, which I would not have approached had 
they been alive ; and constrictors so long and large 
that I fear to give the figures, lest the huge propor- 
tions should be mistakes of my memory; and oth- 
er. snakes, very poisonous, but a foot in length and 
not thicker than my finger. There were birds of 
all sizes and colors, and the most exquisite collec- 
tion of butterflies to be found. We also saw a fish 
with the head of a horse, exactly the thing we used 
to see in our childhood's picture-books. It was 
about ten or twelve inches long. We had not be- 
12 



178 Letters from the Orient. 

lieved in the existence of this animal until we saw 
this specimen. 

Off to one side of the Garden is the residence 
of Arabi Pasha, the Egyptian exile, whom the En- 
glish hold in "durance vile" in this lovely spot. 
He has every thing his eye may desire, and yet — a 
prisoner of state — what he most wants is denied 
him. During this drive we saw many ant-hills four 
and five feet high, which were quite a curiosity to 
us. And of no less interest was the Highland 
regiment which we passed, in its unique and pret- 
ty uniform. The bagpipes were in full blast, 
and I can understand how "The Campbells are 
Coming" might under certain circumstances be 
very inspiriting. 

December 21. 

We have been up in the mountains. It was a 
pleasant change, but not so great as you might 
think. It was warm enough for hundreds of callas 
to bloom in the open air. The prettiest ferns of 
the globe are there; the maiden-hair is a dream of 
beauty, for a poet's pen to describe. The tree- 
fern, which grows to be quite large, is to be seen 
in all these regions from Singapore to Southern 
India. During the few days' trip we saw but one 
coffee-plantation. The crop having failed in the 
last few years, tea has been substituted with con- 




(179) 



A ROAD IN CEYLON. 



\ * 



Voyage to India. 179 

siderable success. The planters claim that the 
Ceylon tea has a more delicious flavor than any 
other. 

We spent a day in the wonderful Royal Gar- 
dens at Peradinieja, where are all the tropical 
plants of the world. I saw growing cloves, all- 
spice, nutmegs, the various palms, bread-fruits, 
banyan, sandal-wood, rubber, camphor, the deadly 
upas, mahogany, cinchona, all of which are large 
trees; besides pepper, sensitive plants, orchids, tea, 
coffee, and many more trees, vines, and bushes 
than I can remember. Bamboos grow here in great 
beauty and to considerable height, as in China and 
Japan. In truth, almost every thing that pertains 
to tropical life may be seen on this island. It 
offers the finest scenery I have found since we 
left green-clad Japan (which, however, is hardly 
tropical), and I have heard that it is considered 
the most beautiful in the world. The other day 
the railroad took us up through the mountains, 
where a very wild region opened before us. The 
palm-trees grow everywhere, even on the high 
hills, while the valleys are richly carpeted in grass 
or cultivated in rice. 

At Kandy our window looked out upon a long, 
smooth lawn finely set in grass and bordered all 
around with beautiful trees. At the other end 



180 Letters from the Orient. 

from our quarters was an immensely rich Bud- 
dhist temple, which was endowed with large tracts 
of valuable land by the Dutch when they took pos- 
session of Ceylon; and when they ceded it to 
the English it was stipulated that all these native 
rights and possessions should be respected. The 
temple contains a vast number of rubies and 
sapphires, and much beautiful ivory and silver 
work. To the right is an artificial lake, and be- 
yond a mountain-range makes a background for 
the whole. 

Adam's Peak, a sacred mountain, is in the dis- 
tance. The Mohammedans claim that the foot- 
prints of Adam are to be seen on the summit. 
Heretical Americans are more interested in the 
gems found at the base and on the sides of the 
mountain. 

As elsewhere, the coffee-plantations here are 
failing. An evil disease has fallen on Java, Cey- 
lon, and "they say" on Brazil and other coffee- 
growing countries. If it goes round the world 
the coffee-drinkers will be forced into self-denial, 
of which let advantage be taken for missionary 
operations ! 

Here, as at Singapore and Penang, the natives 
are very easy in the matter of dress. The children 
wander around arrayed in a silver cord about the 



Voyag-e to India. 181 

loins, with perhaps the addition of a bracelet and 
anklet. The men wear their hair long and held 
back by beautiful tortoise-shell combs; except the 
Mohammedans, who are distinguished by their 
hats — tall truncated cones, woven of many-colored 
straw. The Mohammedans are making great ad- 
vance in all these regions. They send mission- 
aries — Arabs — to all the settlements in the Straits 
and to the islands, and make thousands of con- 
verts. Their allowance of polygamy is a force. 
An Arab teacher — perhaps a fine, stately-looking 
fellow — will settle in a community, open a school, 
and soon propose to a half-dozen families to marry 
a girl from each. They readily accede, and all 
become Mohammedans. Perhaps in a few years 
the contest will be betv/een them and Christianity; 
and a tough contest it will be, for they are vigor- 
ous and plucky. 

We sit by open windows enjoying the music of 
the birds and the beautiful landscape. We re- 
member that sin changed Eden into a wilderness, 
so that no man knows the place. This fair land 
is in darkness, its beauty lost to those who do not 
know the God of nature. Here, where the palm 
grows and where the skies are so bright, we meet 
with sin at every turn. Perhaps because "man 
is vile" my thoughts turn to the "pure river of 



182 Letters from the Orient. 

water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of 
the throne of God and of the Lamb," on whose 
banks grows "the tree of life," whose leaves are 
for "the healing of the nations." Some day we 
shall stand there, and I want Ceylon and all the 
Orient to join in "the new song." Sometimes I 
wonder how you and I could enjoy "the new 
heavens and the new earth" if these Eastern peo- 
ple are left out. But we know " there shall be 
no more curse." Here, where "every prospect 
pleases," we see the effect of the curse; but there 
no such sight will meet our eyes. We " shall see 
His face," and "His name shall be in our fore- 
heads," and "His servants shall serve Him," and 
"they shall reign forever and ever." All this 
cannot be for America and Europe only. John 
wrote from the East — he saw the heavens opened, 
and heard them sing from "out of every kindred 
and tongue and people and nation." If he thought 
of one race more than another, it must have been 
those who were nearest to him — so I feel that I 
have the right to expect to sing the "new song" 
with Japan, China, the Malay Peninsula, Ceylon, 
India, Africa, and the islands of the sea. They 
will be there ! We must bear a part in their com- 
ing. They cannot hear unless they be told; tue 
must send a messenger if we cannot bear the 



Voyag-e to India. 183 

message. God forbid that your ears be heavy and 
your hearts slow ! Hear his voice and give him 
your best work. 

Buddhism is the antagonist of Christianity in 
Ceylon. As in Japan and China, our gospel con- 
fronts a persistent and subtle enemy, who must be 
vanquished by the God of nations. No less here 
than there are needed men and women chosen of 
the Lord, and of whom the heathen "shall take 
knowledge that they have been with Jesus; " such 
men and women as shall be recognized as follow- 
ers of One who must be "King of kings and Lord 
of lords." 

December 25. 

The beauty of the day tempted the two Mrs. 
B.'s and myself to a drive. We had Christmas in 
our hearts, though in the midst of paganism ; ^eace 
and good-will was our portion, though the many 
had not heard why the day is our festival of festi- 
vals. We had not driven far when we found our- 
selves in a strange procession : hundreds of Cey- 
lonese carrying upon their heads immense loads of 
bananas, pine-apples, oranges, mangoes, flowers, 
cake; men on stilts, dancing-girls in wagons, arti- 
sans of many kinds followed in the train. We did 
not understand, but we enjoyed. On we went till 
arriving at a gate-way trimmed with flowers we 



184 Letters from the Orient. 

were invited to enter, and presenting our cards 
were ushered into the presence of a gentleman, a 
Ceylonese, who appeared to be prepared for some 
great occasion. We apologized for our unexpect- 
ed appearance, but his hospitality was more than 
equal to the demand. He would not allow us to 
leave without a glimpse of the annual custom of a 
feast in his honor. He was a Christian, hence 
chose Christmas as a time for a great jollification, 
in which his fellow-townsmen delighted to do him 
honor; and from appearances I judged him to 
be a philanthropist, and these hundreds of men 
to have received at his hands continued favors. 
He introduced us to his wife and her friends, 
all of whom spoke English and were exceedingly 
agreeable. We stood upon the veranda while the 
procession filed through the spacious grounds, ev- 
ery man stopping to exchange greetings with our 
host. Rose-water was sprinkled over us as they 
passed, and rose-leaves thrown in upon the portico 
in profusion, garlands of flowers by the dozen were 
passed into our hands, and many servants were 
required to receive the offerings of fruit. After 
awhile began the entertainment by the musicians, 
swordsmen, jugglers, dancers, tambourine-boys, 
and others, each desiring above all else to give 
pleasure to their host and his friends. We made 



Voyage to India. 185 

several attempts to leave before he would consent. 
Finally our adieus were made. 

When we returned to the hotel I was greatly en- 
tertained by a juggler and snake-charmer. For 
the second time I witnessed the trick of the man- 
go-tree. The juggler was scantily clad. He wore 
but one garment, and that with sleeves to the el- 
bows, and without pockets. There was no place 
for accessories — no table, nor closet, nor trap-door 
— nor any person near who could have assisted him 
to mature his designs. A small boy, attired in the 
same light way, was his only attendant. The two 
were in the open space on the veranda, the specta- 
tors at a respectable distance from his snakes. He 
carried three small baskets, two of which held the 
reptiles and the third his few pieces of machinery, 
all of which he laid out upon the floor. The earth 
for growing his mango was tied up in a handker- 
chief in the third basket. He placed it before us, 
put the bulb in position, watered it, and covered it 
with a soiled, ragged cloth: then began his in- 
cantations and mummery. After a minute or two 
he removed the cloth, and the mango had grown 
an inch or more. Again he covered it and went' 
through the same cabalistic passes, and again the 
cloth was raised, and the plant was a foot tall. 
The mystic gyrations were repeated, when lo ! the 



186 Letters from the Orient. 

young mango had grown a yard in height. Of the 
fifty or more persons looking on, none detected his 
manipulations o His snakes were hooded cobras, 
the most venomous of the serpent kind. All the 
jugglers handle them without fear, although their 
fangs dart to the right and left in very threatening 
style. It was surprising how he packed so many 
and so large snakes in the two baskets. He did 
not seem to consider their need of space, but 
crowded them in pell-mell, till I doubt if any 
one of them knew his own tail from that of his 
neighbor. '* j 

We went to the Wesleyan Church on Sunday, 
and saw the tablet to the memory of Dr. Coke, 
who died so many years ago on his way to Ceylon. 
The tablet was erected by the missionaries with 
him, who survived to labor a short time, though 
we noticed by the inscriptions that some soon fol- 
lowed him. Most of the foreign workers here die 
early — very few live to old age. We arrived at 
the church rather early, and strolled on for a half- 
hour. On our return we found that a crowd had 
gathered under a tree to hear a native Christian 
preach. He spoke with earnestness, and we found 
by the singing that several who stood with him 
were of like mind with himself. There is response 
in Ceylon to the word of the Lord. 



Voyage to India. 187 

December 26. 
The temperature is somewhat lower to-day. The 
nights have been delightful during the week, but 
at midday the sun has been too hot for a walk to 
be agreeable or safe. The streets are full of peo- 
ple from three o'clock till midnight enjoying the 
sea-breeze and the sight-seeing. The stars shine 
out with wonderful clearness, many coming into 
view that we do not see in our latitude. Ceylon is 
too far above the equator for the Southern Cross 
to be seen; at Singapore it was visible about 
3 A.M. You will be surprised to hear that I did 
not rise for the sight, and indeed I already regret 
it. Early to-day we walked along the beach for a 
half mile to the south of Columbo, and watched 
the ocean stretching out before us inimitably — 
nothing between us and the South Pole — the 
breakers beat and broke upon the sands, keeping 
up the measured roar that never, never ceases. 
Long as I have been on the waters, I have not yet 
wearied of the sight and sound. The spot was 
tempting. Your father would have liked a plunge, 
but was restrained by the preemption rights of the 
sharks, who admit no intruder into their domain, 
save with the understanding of an end to the pres- 
ent conditions. 



LETTER XYI. 

HINDOO WOMEN— THEIR ZENANA LIFE— PRISONERS FROM 
THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE— NOTABLE SIGHTS. 

Benares, India, January 4, 1889. 

WE sailed December 26 from Columbo in the 
steamer "Nepaul." Fair winds brought us 
to Calcutta by the last day of the year. On the 
way we had a vision which recalled that of the 
Apocalypse. The Bay of Bengal shone under the 
rays of a burning sun, and as far as the eye could 
reach was without a ripple. From horizon to ho- 
rizon the broad expanse of quiet sea reflected the 
blazing light as one flaming surface — great belts of 
lire flashed into the crystal waters. We saw John's 
vision — "the sea of glass mingled with fire." 
Such an outlook from Patmos must have inspired 
his description of the heavenly glory. 

Calcutta was so crowded that it was impossible 
to find comfortable quarters. Two gentlemen of 
our party were reduced to a dining-table for their 
sleeping, and four of our ladies divided one bed 
between them. I spent a morning in visiting ze- 
nanas, by the courtesy of the wife of Rev. Bishop 
Thoburn, of the M. E. Church. But for Mrs. 
Thoburn's kindness, I would not have had this 
(188) 




(1811) 



Hindoo Women. 189 

glimpse into the life of Hindoo women, for the rea- 
son that we have no work in India. No man, ex- 
cept the husband, has access to a woman's apart- 
ments, so that your father was not with me. 

The life of Hindoo women is well known. From 
the cradle to the grave they are prisoners, first in 
the house of the mother, and later in the house of 
the husband or mother-in-law. They are abso- 
lutely without outlook and have nothing in reserve, 
until the Sun of righteousness shines into their 
souls; and while the blessed light may not open 
the outside world to their earthly vision, they will 
have the liberty of God's dear children. They 
marry at eleven, twelve, and thirteen years of age, 
and henceforth know no law but the word of the 
mother-in-law, the husbands troubling themselves 
ver}^ little about the home management. Sons take 
their wives home to their mothers, so that in a fam- 
ily of many sons the household grows apace — a 
half-dozen, a dozen families under one roof. Often 
several generations dwell together in one zenana. 

These wives, young and old, could hardly lead 
harmonious lives, for no change of air or scene 
relieves their nerves. They cannot read, so that 
their minds are without that sort of employment. 
They are kept in the strictest seclusion, never, 
never being allowed to walk upon the street. They 



190 Letters from the Orient. 

know nothing of the busy world outside, and never 
see the hills or the blue skies except as they look 
up from their narrow inside courts. They have no 
ideas of any thing but their circumscribed limits, 
save as their husbands may tell them a bit of news. 
An occasional visit to the mother's house may be 
permitted if the mother-in-law happens to be good- 
tempered — not otherwise ; and this must be done 
in a tightly closed "palankeen" (a long, narrow 
sort of ambulance without windows, carried by 
servants), from which the poor little woman can 
neither see nor be seen. The palankeen is taken 
to the inner court, so there is no chance for a peep 
at the city. If there is a reason for a railroad jour- 
ney, a thick veil is worn as they step from the ve- 
hicle to the coach — those for high-caste women hav- 
ing windows of very dark glass, or the shutters so 
arranged that there can be neither looking out nor 
looking in. I tried very hard on one of the trains 
to see inside of the compartment where there were 
some high-caste ladies, but failed entirely. 

The Hindoo woman has no sewing, for her only 
garment is a scarf five or six yards long by one 
wide, which she winds about her quite gracefully. 
Day after day those of one household gossip to- 
gether over their poor little affairs which never 
change. They have very little joy, even in mother- 




C191) 



Hindoo Women. 191 

hood, which with us is so sweet a tie to life. True, 
to be a mother is the only thing to which a Hin- 
doo wife looks forward; but she has no dainty- 
garments to stitch, bringing pleasure to her very 
fingers — no training of infant mind and heart, the 
growth of which interests our mothers. The mere 
possession of sons is her one ambition. A noble 
manhood does not enter into her calculations. 

A few young wives — comparatively few — send 
for the missionary ladies to teach them to read, 
write, and embroider. It was a glad day when 
an English woman of rank made the first attempt 
to enter a zenana, and succeeded. Henceforth a 
brighter future was within reach of these igno- 
rant, aimless Hindoos. The desire to be taught is 
growing, and before another century close*, by 
the help of the Lord of hosts, there will be a rev- 
olution in the homes of India. 

I enjoyed my visit to some of these women very 
much. One young wife had finished a pair of slip- 
pers for her husband, and because he had been so 
gracious as to admire them she was as happy as a 
child with a new toy ; the penmanship of another 
was commended by the teacher, which brought a 
happy smile to the young face ; another was great- 
ly pleased to have her baby noticed, and another 
quite interested in a new crochet stitch. 



192 Letters from the Orient. 

They showed me some very elegant jewelry: 
ear-rings of all sizes and designs, among them a 
handsome gold envelope for the ear, studded with 
precious stones; necklaces, bracelets, and anklets; 
rings for fingers and toes and nose ; all manner of 
silver and gold devices that a woman could desire. 
I suppose that to have a new piece of jewelry is 
the highest aspiration of thousands of these poor 
creatures. 

The terrible condition of the widows of India is 
so well known that you are familiar with the story 
of their misery. We saw what is said to be the 
place where the last suttee was performed. En- 
gland has held India through a sea of blood. It 
was perhaps God's way to bring her to the truth. 
The English Government abolished this rite ; but 
the pitiful situation of thousands of child-widows 
has led many of them to prefer death upon the 
funeral-pyre of their husbands. Married in child- 
hood without consent of their own, they are often 
widows before arriving at mature years; and 
henceforth life is one long bitterness. There are 
said to be over five million widowed children in 
India, their condition being abject slavery in the 
families where they are left. No comforts are 
allowed them, no tenderness is exhibited toward 
them, nor is association with other inmates of 



Notable Sio-hts in India. 103 

the house permitted. They become menials, or 
rather outcasts, within four walls. Their wretch- 
edness is equaled only in the regions where hope 
is an eternal stranger. Encrland has done much 
to ameliorate some of these evils, but the gospel 
only is the power which is to overcome the super- 
stitions, ignorance, and cruelties of India. 

Calcutta covers an immense area of ground, 
and has a great number of fine residences and 
Government buildings. It is more expensively 
built than any of the Eastern cities that I have seen, 
unless it be Hong-kong, and perhaps that is not 
an exception. The Botanical Gardens, a little 
way out of the city, are said to be the finest in the 
world. Perhaps so; but to the botanist, not to 
the unlearned like myself. The great banyan-tree 
is wonderful. It covers a space of more than 
eight hundred and fifty feet in circumference, has 
three hundred and thirty-two aerial roots, and the 
main trunk is forty-two feet around. It is said to be 
next to the largest in the world — the largest being 
that at Bombay, under which seven thousand of Sir 
Arthur Wellington's troops were once camped. 

We visited the Zoological Gardens, where is 
the finest collection of animals I have seen: not- 
ably, the two largest tigers — splendid brutes, one 
of them a "man-eater" — a black leopard, lions, 
13 



194 Letters from the Orie?it. 

large ostriches with long plumes, besides numbers 
of monkeys and gorillas, and birds of beautiful 
plumage. 

We also went to one of the burning-ghats, or the 
place where the dead are burned. China is one 
universal cemetery. The living milHons tread upon 
the grave-mounds of the dead millions every day. 
It is not so in India. Except those of the Moham- 
medans and English, there are no graves : the dead 
are burned. There were two burning bodies at the 
time of our visit. It was not a pleasant sight; 
and to me, the Parsee mode is equally painful. 
They build great towers, open at the top; the 
remains of the dead are placed within, and in a 
few minutes the vultures dispose of all that was 
mortal. 

After all, what matters it, if at the resurrection 
we rise to meet our Lord in the air? These 
things are naught compared with the iniquitous 
exhibitions to be seen in Calcutta and other parts 
of India. How long, O Lord, how long? 

We left Calcutta at night, taking the train for 
Benares. We would have liked to stop over at Se- 
rampore, where Carey did his work, to see the very 
streets he traversed almost a hundred years ago. 
He was a cobbler, a devout Baptist, and an En- 
glishman. His heart was stirred while studying a 




(195) 



Notable Sights in India. 195 

map of the world, the outcome of which was an 
appeal to a body of clergj-man of his own denomi- 
nation on the duty of spreading the gospel among 
the heathen. Afterward he was sent to India. 
About the same time, a poor boy stopped for rest 
in Westminster Abbey, feeling very forlorn over 
his poverty. He had read a little, and besides had 
a desire to study. The monuments to the great 
men of England, in the Abbey, inspired him with 
courage, and never after did he forget what he 
read that day of the good and great. Marshman 
kept his goal before him, and when a man he 
joined Carey in India, where together they worked 
and saw the fruit of their labors. He translated 
the Bible into many languages, while Carey toiled 
in other ways, having but one aim — viz., to set 
Christ before India. We had not time for Seram- 
pore. 

We reached Benares in about twenty hours. It 
is the sacred city, the Mecca of the Hindoo, the 
holy place. By sunrise the next morning we were 
on the Ganges River, to see the thousands who 
daily bathe at sunrise as an act of worship of the 
dirty waters. They believe that washing in this 
river cleanses them of sin — this act is an atone- 
ment, and each bath is a promise of years in para- 
dise. To die at Benares insures entrance into 



196 Letters from the Orient. 

eternal bliss, for it is the holiest spot in the uni- 
verse, next to heaven. I have been told that at 
Allahabad (which is near this city), at a certain 
season, thousands of the pilgrims have their heads 
shaved in the Ganges, because for every hair that 
floats away in the sacred river a million years in 
paradise are given. We drifted up and down past 
the bathers for an hour and a half. It was a piti- 
ful sight. Sometimes it is quite cold, but notwith- 
standing they shiver, out into the stream they go, 
and kneel with clasped hands and bowed heads, 
muttering their prayers ; and so beginning the day 
cleansed from the stains of yesterday, and sure of 
an entrance into everlasting joy should death come 
before the next sunrise-bath. 

This visit to the river gave us a view of the fin- 
est buildings in the city, which in their better days 
must have made a very brilliant and imposing ap- 
pearance. At present they do not answer to the 
glowing descriptions of the past, being largely gone 
into decay. The Mosque of Auringzebe retains 
its unbroken proportions and architectural splen- 
dor. 

After breakfast we went to see the temples, 
which are too many for minute detail. The carv- 
ings of some of them are loathsome — more foul 
than I had any idea of; and, what is worse, these 




(197) 



Notable SiorJits in India. 197 

are exponents of the life of the people and their 
worship. The defilements of idolatry cannot be 
condoned by the rose-water sentimental attempts 
of some polite writers. The Christian world must 
hasten its re-enforcements to the heathen, if these 
degrading systems are to be banished from the 
face of the earth. 

The Monkey Temple is a fine building, whose 
main purpose seems to be to furnish with its walls, 
turrets, towers, and domes a home for countless 
monkeys. They are sacred, and throng the place, 
keeping up an incessant chattering. They take 
the worship offered them, and whatever they can 
lay hold upon with composure and disregard of the 
ten commandments. The Cow Temple was a dis- 
gusting stable. A thorough renovation would I 
suppose discompose the animals, consequently no 
attempt is made at general house-cleaning. The 
pollutions and degradations of idolatry are un- 
speakable — no less unendurable is the soil that 
soap and water could ameliorate. 

Benares is noted for its exquisite brass-work — 
in no other place is the refousse work so elegant. 
Your father purchased a small vase, that you may 
have an idea of the beauty of this ware. The 
two days spent in this place have given us seme 
understanding of its sanctity, its superstitions, 



Ids jLcllers from the Orient. 

and its architecture. We will leave to-night for 
Lucknow. 

Bombay, January 17, 

We have crossed India. The railway travel is 
fatiguing. Travelers carry their own bedding, 
the coaches furnishing only the place for spread- 
ing rugs and pillows ; and if the train be crowded, 
there is no space for lying down, especially as the 
luggage is mostly in the compartment with the 
traveler. Even at the hotels we were expected to 
use our own bedding, the mattress and sheets only 
being furnished. 

A servant is indispensable in a journey through 
India. He must speak English, of course. We 
employed a man at Calcutta to go with us until we 
shall sail, at a rupee (thirty-five cents) a day, be- 
sides furnishing him a blanket and a third-class 
railroad ticket. He boards himself. He per- 
forms the duties of a porter on the train, hires 
our cabs, waits on us at the table (we would not 
be half -fed without him), sees to the minute details 
of our rooms (a bath would be impossible without 
Abdul ; I doubt if we could get a pitcher of water, 
for there are no bells). He sleeps on the floor 
outside our door, and to the best of his ability 
looks Out for our interests. To be sure he is slow, 
and we are often in haste, our time being short — 




(199) 



THE -well" at CAWXrOKE. 



Notable Sights in India. 199 

but I do not know how we could have managed at 
the hotels without him: perhaps in the railroad 
travels we might have dispensed with a servant. 
He has seen to our wants in the kitchen and linen- 
room, watched lest we should be despoiled, fought 
our small battles with the low-caste (he is high- 
caste) "hewers of wood" on the trains — always 
calls me "mistress" and your father "master," 
but never gives advice of any sort. He has served 
us well. 

The chief interest of Lucknow and Cawnpore 
is in connection with the mutiny of 1857-8. It is 
a frightful story. I am sickened as I recall the 
sufferings of women and children — pent up in the 
under-ground chambers, almost without air, and 
with scanty supply of food, during the terrible 
days of a summer in India — and of the heroism of 
the men who defended them against all odds, till 
Havelock came to their rescue. The walls of the 
Residency at Lucknow, and other buildings, still 
stand, marked by the shot and shell, in the midst 
of grounds kept with the care and beauty of an 
English garden. The memorials are there in the 
shape of monuments and tombs to the brave men 
who fought and died, or were massacred. At 
Cawnpore every thing is a reminder in some form 
of the horrible siege of those days and the months 



200 Letters froin the Oi'ient. 

of darkness and terror. A memorial church, filled 
with tablets to the dead; the angel in marble, over 
the well into which Nana threw the bodies — many 
of them still living^of the treacherously massacred 
women and children; the monument to General 
Wheeler, the ill-starred commandant who, trust- 
ing in Nana's word, surrendered his men only to 
see them murdered ; the stone plates marking the 
line of intrenchments; the wells from which the 
besieged procured water at the risk of their lives ; 
the old barracks and the ground where a terrible 
vengeance was executed upon the Sepoys — are all 
pointed out to the visitor. 

Our next journey was to Agra, one of the capir 
tals of the old Mogul Empire in the days of its 
power and pride. Within the fort the remains of 
two palaces are standing — one of them almost en- 
tire with its courts and colonnades, its audience- 
chambers, its zenanas with delicately carved and 
inlaid marble halls, balconies, baths, and sleeping- 
apartments. It is not difficult to imagine the luxu- 
rious furnishing of rug and tapestry and curtains 
of silk, cashmere, and fine linen, and reproduce 
the life led by those masters of empire. The 
Pearl Mosque is also within the fort. It is an ex- 
quisitely beautiful building. Its pavements, pillars, 
vaulted ceilings, and domes are of white marble. 




(201; 



Notable Sights in India. 201 

But the crowning beauty of Agra, the purest piece 
of architecture in the world, is the Taj Mahal, a 
mausoleum erected by the Shah Jehan to his beau- 
tiful queen. The platform on which it is built is 
marble mosaic, while the Taj is ornamented by 
mosaics in jewels, the doors and screens being 
wonderful marble lace-work. It cost fifteen mill- 
ions, and required twenty thousand men nearly 
twenty j^ears to build it. It is the noblest, tender- 
est monument ever erected to a woman's virtues. 

The palace of Akbar, in his day, three hundred 
years ago, was inlaid with costly gems ; and Jehan's 
throne, two hundred and fifty years ago, had a 
background of sapphires and emeralds, to repre- 
sent a peacock, which cost thirty millions. These 
were stolen or otherwise disposed of more than a 
century since. 

I will not attempt further description. Tombs 
here mean massive buildings. It is wonderful 
what effect white marble can produce. The shafts 
and sculptured figures of our cemeteries seem cold 
to this pure stone, which rises into domes, mina- 
rets, and palaces to the dead. But do not under- 
stand me as recommending this tremendous out- 
lay of money. I prefer that monuments shall be 
institutions for the living. 

I have explored Delhi to a small extent — the 



202 Letters from the Orient. 

fort, containing some handsome remains of a pal- 
ace of Akbar, the greatest of the Mogul emperors ; 
another Pearl Mosque as beautiful as that at Agra ; 
a large number of English buildings; some fine 
old temples; and the bazaars, where are found the 
industries of Northern India at their best. The 
shawls, gold and silver embroideries, gauzes, silks, 
rugs, and tapestries are exquisite. Every woman 
enjoys looking at these goods. We find the mer- 
chants much more willing to display their wares 
than the Chinese — perhaps because Abdul knows 
how to manipulate them. We are not making pur- 
chases, though Mrs. B. buys considerably. 

Delhi was also the scene of bloodshed in the 
Sepoy rebellion. Monuments and sign-boards lo- 
cate the heroic deeds and the losses of the hand- 
ful of the besieged. 

At Jeypore there was much to see. It is one of 
the cities still under native rule, though tributary 
to the British Government. We did not see the 
rajah's palace on account of the exactions of "red 
tape; " but we visited his sta})les and saw his three 
hundred fine horses and his fighting-elephants, 
which are immense in size. 

We made application to visit the Amber Palace, 
which is beautifully located on one of the hills five 
miles from the city. The last two miles of the 




(203) 



A ROYAL PROCESSION IN INDIA. 



Notable Sights in India. 203 

way were made on the elephant which the rajah 
always sends with the card of admission. It was 
a tremendous beast, larger than any I ever saw, 
and had a heavy, rolHng, jerky gait. He knelt 
to receive us, and again when we dismounted. 
As he rose or knelt I almost thought an earth- 
quake was shaking Jeypore — it was an astonishing 
upheaval and down-sitting. 

The effect of tiny mirrors in one of the halls 
of the palace was peculiar and very pretty. We 
also went into the hall of sacrifice, where once a 
year the rajah offers a goat to Karli. In Calcut- 
ta we were in a temple at the hour of sacrifice, 
when the narrow entrance was thronged by the 
worshipers coming and going, leading their goats 
and bullocks to the priest. We watched the service 
for some time. So I have been twice face to face 
with this ineradicable notion of sacrifice — a notion 
finding its beginning in the faith of the world's first 
martyr, Abel, in his effort to draw nigh to God, 
and never since lost where men have sought him. 
I want to tell the world that not "by the blood of 
goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered 
into the holy place, having obtained eternal re- 
demption for us." 

Bombay is the city of India for architecture and 
gardening. The Great Indian Peninsula Railway 



204 Letters from the Orient. 

has here the finest railway station in the world. It 
is the most notable building in the city, and the 
first seen as you enter the bay. It cost thirty-seven 
lacs of rupees — that is, one million four hundred 
and forty-two thousand five hundred dollars. 

We drove to the Towers of Silence, the place 
where the Parsees dispose of their dead. They 
are on an eminence from which Bombay looks 
very beautiful, as though built in a grove of palms. 
The Parsees are Persians and of Persian descent, 
and are worshipers of the sun. In their temples 
burns perpetually the sacred fire of Zoroaster. 
There are fifty thousand of them in Bombay, 
though they are scattered in other parts of India. 
They are men of wealth, and we know them by 
their peculiar scoop-like hats. Their women are 
pretty, and dress in silks of the most delicate 
shades, with silk hose and shoes to match. 

I wish I could tell you all that we have seen, but 
it is impossible to keep it in mind. I have been 
amused at the long strings of camels — twenty-five 
and thirty in a line — each one tied by the tail to a 
rope caught in the nose of the one behind, regard- 
less of comfort. Query: Suppose the first should 
start in a run, when the others would not — ^what 
would happen ? 

The jugglers are everywhere. I have seen the 




(205) 



Notable Sights in India. 205 

mango trick several times. A curious trick was 
performed by a man wearing only a skirt, so that 
it was impossible to understand how he deceived 
us. He appeared to pass an o.^'g into his eye. 
What he did with it I cannot conceive, for there 
was no place for it visible. After some incanta- 
tions he ran to a gentleman next to your father, 
and seemed to take the Q.gg from the leg of his 
trousers. I saw a fight between a cobra and a 
mongoose, a small animal the size of a rat. The 
man set the mongoose upon the snake, who soon 
demolished the little creature. I was sure the cobra 
was dead, for he lay there without any appearance 
of life. The charmer opened his mouth, forcing 
in scraps of some root, which proved a panacea. 
In a half-hour the reptile showed signs of resto- 
ration. The mongoose bites through the back, 
bringing the blood, and I heard that recovery is 
rare. The same man had a snake-bite on his arm 
while he was exhibiting to us — I saw the mark of 
the teeth and the blood. He took bits of the root 
before mentioned, several times, and did not seem 
to fear any danger. 

The poverty of India is equal to the poverty of 
China, with the exception that the climate being 
tropical, save in the north, there is no need of 
warm clothing, and for food there is fruit to be had 



206 Letters from the Orient. 

for running up the long trunks of the palms. Five 
or six cents a day is the average support of the 
poor people. The men are tall and handsome, 
but must be hungry half their days. How little 
happiness there is among the hundreds of millions 
of the people here and in China ! Shall we not 
hasten to tell them of the priceless treasure which 
will more than compensate for the privations and 
sufferings of earth? 

The Salvation Army is in India in large num- 
bers, and seems to have gotten a strong hold on 
many. I have seen them on the streets, and I 
hear they are pressing into the interior. God give 
grace and wisdom to all Christian workers ! 

The caste prejudice enters into every condition 
of life in India. Foreigners are compelled to keep 
many servants, because none will do the work of 
the lower caste. I asked Abdul one day to move 
a certain piece of furniture to another part of the 
room. He had been so polite that I was surprised 
at his noncompliance, till after awhile he said that 
he would lose his caste if he touched it; but he 
could have it done. The cook will buy the mar- 
keting, but will not carry it home ; the man who 
washes the dishes will not black the boots; and 
so It is all down the line of house-work : none of 
them will touch food prepared by a low-caste cook. 



Notable Sights in India. 207 

In traveling, a rajah will do without food dur- 
ing his entire journey unless a man of his caste 
can be found to prepare his meals ; and I have 
been told that even in the jails the cooks are Brah- 
mans — otherwise the prisoners would starve. On 
the streets the passers-by are very particular lest 
their clothes should brush against us. I have seen 
many hold their gowns very close lest they touch 
us of the unclean nations. 



LETTER. XYII. 

IN THE LAND OF THE PHARAOHS— CAIRO AND ITS THOUSAND 
ATTRACTIONS. 

January i8, 1889. 

WE sailed in the steamer "Siam" from Bom- 
bay, for the Red Sea, where at Suez we 
will take the cars for Cairo. For a day or two 
the sea was very rough, almost every one being 
compelled to retire. We were unable to maintain 
a perpendicular, the chairs pitched from side to 
side, and the ship shook convulsively. I did not 
lose my place on deck, nor was I absent from the 
table, where I sat next to the captain, an agreeable 
bachelor of fifty. At Aden we changed steamers 
and sailed on through the Red Sea to Suez, at 
the southern extremity of the Suez Canal. 

On our arrival at Suez we were informed that 
passengers from Bombay would not be permitted 
to land, on account of a cholera scare, there be- 
ing more or less of that plague in India all the 
year round. Accordingly ten of us were ordered 
into a skiff, just large enough for us, our baggage, 
the officer in charge of us, and the two men to 
manage the boat. We were paddled back for 
nearly three hours, and landed at the Quarantine 
(208) 




(209) 



AN EGYPTIAN SPHINZ. 



Land of the Pharaohs. 209 

Station on the Arabian coast, which is a desert 
shore. For many miles beyond vision, and far be- 
yond the horizon, there was nothing to be seen but 
the vast desert, save one small oasis two miles dis- 
tant. Our bungalow where we spent the next 
twenty-four hours was on the beach, so that but a 
few minutes elapsed after landing ere we were set 
to housekeeping in this dreary region, where sel- 
dom any but Bedouins are seen. 

The steward of our good steamer "Nepaul," 
knowing the barren conditions of quarantine, had 
furnished us with luncheon for three meals ; other- 
wise we would have fasted, for there was not a mor- 
sel of food to be had, nor fuel of any sort. There 
were cots (new), which we made comfortable for 
the night with our own blankets, rugs, and pillows. 
I am sure a more cheerful party never visited that 
shore, notwithstanding we w^ere where we did not 
want to be, and in circumstances most unpropitious 
— having two sick gentlemen to look after. 

Meal-time came, and our wits were taxed to know 
how to serve the viands without cutlery or china. 
We improvised plates of paper, and used a dirk 
for a carver, scissors and pocket-knives for per- 
sonal use. There was not a fork among us. Cups 
were not needed; there was no fire, consequentl}^ 
no coffee nor tea. Our first meal was very nice, 
14 



210 Letters from the Orient. 

the second fair, but by the time of the third we 
had only stale scraps which were not appetizing. 

In the afternoon some of us walked through the 
sand to the oasis, two miles distant. The name is 
"Moses's Wells," and it is said to be the place 
where Moses sung, " I will sing unto the Lord, for 
he hath triumphed gloriously; " and where Miriam 
answered with a hymn of praise, ''Sing ye to the 
Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse 
and his rider hath he thrown into the sea." 

We counted five large wells. The water is brack- 
ish, but the date-palms, grass, and a few plants 
were very green. Camels, with their long strides, 
and the Bedouins passed to and fro, and around 
two or three huts we saw children at play. A very 
old man brought us hot coffee and a few dates, for 
which we were glad to give him a trifling douceur. 

How could we forget the stirring events which 
took place four thousand years ago on these sands 
and in the waters of this sea? Moses, with six 
hundred thousand men, besides women and chil- 
dren, stood in this wilderness, and the Lord him- 
self "went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, 
to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of 
fire, to give them light; to go by day and night." 
Marv^elous leading ! Amazing providence ! Of 
course we cannot say that the hosts of Israel drank 



Land of the Pharaohs. 211 

from these wells — it is probable — but it is almost 
certain that the outskirts of the camp reached to 
this region: the two millions passed near by, as 
they went on to their forty years of discipline, ere 
they entered the promised land. 

Our slow canoe took us to Suez the next day in 
time to see our train steam away beyond our reach. 
Another twenty-four hours, and we were on our 
way to Cairo. The road runs for a large part of 
the way through the desert, crossing the line of the 
exodus, and then comes into the land of Goshen, 
which is to-day noticeable, as in Jacob's time, for 
its fertility and fitness for cattle. We saw them in 
numbers grazing, and remarked the striking con- 
trast between this and the desert land we had just 
crossed. We passed Tel-el Kebir, the scene of the 
battle between the English and Arabi Pasha, which 
resulted in the dethronement of Arabi and his exile 
to Ceylon, where he now lives luxuriously at the 
expense of Great Britain. His wife refused to go 
with him, and lives here in opulence, while he 
keeps his harem at Columbo. 

About fifteen miles from Cairo your father 
pointed out the Pyramids. Though they were ten 
miles off, the two large ones stood out very dis- 
tinct in the clear afternoon light. Soon the mina- 
rets of the mosque of Mehemet Ali came in sight, 



212 Letters from the Orient. 

and then the domes of countless other mosques, 
and in a few minutes we were in Cairo and at 
Shepherd's Hotel. 

The next day we went to the Boulak Museum, a 
wonderful collection of Egyptian antiquities. I 
was surprised at the vigor and life-likeness of 
much of the ancient sculpture. The stiffness of 
the pictures does not fairly represent it. But the 
most impressive things to me were the wonderfully 
preserved mummies of Sethi I., the Pharaoh whose 
daughter rescued and adopted Moses, and Rame- 
ses II., the king from whom Moses fled when he had 
killed the Eg3'ptian. Their faces are almost life- 
like, the hair in good condition, and teeth as white 
as those of living men. They lie side by side, and 
it is really possible to tell what manner of men 
they were. A princess of their day, with her week- 
old infant by her side, is also well preserved. Some 
of the cloths in which she was wrapped have kept 
their tints, and her jewelry is so beautiful that one 
might desire a specimen or two. The history of 
their times as given in the Bible is verified by the 
monuments and scrolls whose hieroglyphics mod- 
ern students are able to read. The mummy of the 
Pharaoh of the exodus has not been found — per- 
haps because he was overthrown with his hosts in 
the midst of the Red Sea. 




(2H 



Land of the Pharaohs. 213 

What a wonderful history was wrought out in 
Egypt ! It was a great country when Abraham so- 
journed there and was admitted to converse with 
the king; and when Joseph, a boy, was sold to 
Potiphar, and was proGpered by the Lord, who re- 
mained his friend through many vicissitudes, until 
he was Pharaoh's prime-minister, and son-in-law 
to the priest of On. It was in Egypt, when fam- 
ine was sore in Canaan, that Pharaoh gave Joseph, 
for his father and brethren, "the best of the land" 
for their habitation ; and here the old man, with his 
sons, and son's sons, and their wives, and all their 
cattle and goods, settled and grew and multiplied. 
Here they became a great people; and after awhile 
"there arose a new king," who set over them task- 
masters to " afflict them with burdens," and "made 
their lives bitter with hard bondage." "Good 
when he gives, supremely good," was Joseph's 
refrain, I suppose, when the Lord was with him; 
and to-day, as we look back four thousand years 
and see God's meaning in the training of his peo- 
ple, shall we not sing, "Nor less when he denies?" 
You know the story of Moses — how he stood 
before the king demanding the release of the peo- 
ple of God, and how Pharaoh promised and broke 
his word, promised and broke his word, man}^ 
times, till at last the angel of the Lord slew the 



21i Letters from the Orient. 

first-born in every Egyptian household. Not till 
then was Israel allowed to go. How wonderful 
when that vast host crossed the Red Sea on dry 
ground, the waters being "a wall unto them on 
their right-hand and on their left! " The children 
of Abraham escaped from oppression and the deep 
waters, while those who defied God were never 
again allowed to mock at his command or chal- 
lenge his wrath. 

Nearly five hundred years after the exodus, 
King Solomon married an Egj^ptian wife ; and into 
Egypt Jeroboam fled from the wrath of Solomon. 
Many other times there was communication be- 
tween Eg3'pt and the people of God till, centuries 
after, the infant Jesus — the Son of God and of 
man — was brought here by Joseph and Mary, to 
escape the cruelty of Herod, and remained until 
the death of the king. 

We went to the Coptic Church in Cairo, which 
was built nine hundred years ago upon the spot 
where it is said Mary and the Babe found rest. I 
am not a worshiper of times and places, but I 
confess to pleasure at thought of the possibility 
that I stood where the blessed Child slept after the 
weary flight. 

Of course the P3^ramids are the chief Interest to 
all travelers in Egypt. They date far back to the 




1215) 



Land of the Pha7'aohs. 215 

days of the Pharaohs who built them and were 
buried within their vaults. They stood there on 
the edge of the Libyan Desert in the days of 
Moses, and perhaps of Abraham. They are con- 
sidered the oldest works of the hand of man yet 
discovered, though it is possible that some of the 
cuneiform inscriptions are older. I have heard that 
Adam' s contem^oi-aTy is in the British Museum. 
Certainly no great work of industry preceded the 
Pyramids. They are tremendous — beyond any 
thing I ever saw except the oceans and the mount- 
ains, and God made them. The ascent of the 
Great Cheops looked easy enough. I did not at- 
tempt either that or the visit to the interior cham- 
bers where the bodies of the dead Pharaohs were 
placed, though the latter are easy of access : twenty 
years ago I would not have hesitated. 

Cairo has a thousand attractions, not the least 
of which is the variety of real life to be seen on 
its streets. It is a cosmopolitan cit}^ There are 
more nationalities represented than in any city I 
have yet seen." I saw signs over stores and cafes 
that your father says are Hebrew, Greek, German, 
Itahan, Spanish, English, Syriac, Arabic, Coptic, 
and Turkish. The various races live in separate 
quarters bearing their names, but mingle freely in 
the business parts of the town. In the old city 



216 Letters from the Orient. 

you may be reminded of the "Arabian Nights" — 
the open shops — the cross-legged owners waiting 
with Eastern imperturbabihty for customers, or chaf- 
fering over a trade and calling upon the voluble 
crowd, always gathered, to help in the transaction: 
the noise, the confusion, the donkeys, camels — all 
are there. It would not be difficult to imagine, 
after standing for awhile in one of the thorough- 
fares about the bazaars, that the Sultan Haroun 
and his vizier. Giaour, were passing by. 

The European part of the city is well built. The 
garden, Esbikiyeh, of twenty-two acres, with lakes, 
grottoes, walks, trees, shrubs, flowers — all pecul- 
iar to the climate — and a music-stand from which 
a large band of natives discourse European music 
every afternoon, are interesting. 

As you know, we have not time for the trip your 
father took two years ago, up the Nile; so I must 
be satisfied to know by hearsay about the ruins 
and the tombs and other historical sights. 

I took my last drive in Cairo to-day. It was a 
delightful afternoon, and hundreds of persons were 
upon the streets. We passed the Khedive, a fine- 
looking man; he raised his hat to us, as to every 
one he met, v/hether native or foreign. Our driver 
had informed us of his coming, while we were yet 
some distance off. We were also told that the 




WHIRLING DEKVISHES. 



(217) 



1 



Land of the Pharaohs. 217 

carriage which followed his was occupied by his 
children and attended by the regularly appointed 
servants of the royal household. During the drive 
we passed a dozen carriages, full of the wives from 
the various harems of the city. Their veils are a 
poetical pleasantry — that is, instead of hiding their 
faces, the bright, pretty women whom we saw to- 
day wore veils of tulle which enhanced, rather 
than concealed, their beauty. 

I suppose the freedom of a drive has been al- 
lowed only in late years. Time was when the 
women of the harems of all the Turkish dominions 
were kept in the same seclusion that is still prac- 
ticed in the zenanas of India. 

One of the strangest sights in Cairo is the relig- 
ious service of the dervishes, a Moslem sect. Fri- 
day is their chief day of worship, corresponding 
to our Sunday. The ceremony of the dancing 
dervishes begins with the beating of the drums 
and tambourines and blowing of the trumpet, to- 
gether with a chant which is an invocation to Al- 
lah, This medley of music continues through the 
entire service, even while the sheik prays, and 
during the whirling of the assembled twenty or 
thirty dervishes. Each dervish rises upon one 
foot and spins round and round till the specta- 
tors grow dizzy, his hands, long hair, and skirt 



218 Letters from the Orient. 

extended to the utmost. Finally the revolutions 
seemed to exhaust them, and a few minutes' inter- 
mission appeared necessary, which they employ in 
calling upon Allah: a repetition of the whirling 
a second and third time concludes the service. 
Visitors are expected to give a few "backsheesh" 
on retiring. 

The howling dervishes present a still more 
painful sight. They commence with a prayer led 
by the sheik, followed by the musical instruments 
and the howling of the fraternity, who gradually 
rise to their feet, and throw themselves back and 
forth, to the right and left, with great force and 
rapidit}^, their long hair touching the floor behind 
and before. Finally their contortions and screams 
exhaust them, and for a minute they cease in order 
to breathe and rest; but again they roar and throw 
themselves about with such violent frenzy that I 
could have thought them maniacs had I not known 
that the howls were, "O Allah! O Allah! O Al- 
lah ! " Two of the men fainted from exhaustion. 

The poverty of the East! Here, as in China 
and India, the poverty of the millions is pitiful. I 
forget the amount of taxes Egypt pays Turkey — at 
least three or four millions ; no wonder that she is 
impoverished. Where the population is so densely 
crowded as in all the East, I suppose that only 




(219) 



Land of the Pharaohs. 219 

the few can be comfortably circumstanced. How 
terrible the thought that millions upon millions of 
these poor creatures have neither the life that is 
nor that which is to come ! Lost to all enjoyment of 
this world by reason of grinding poverty, and lost in 
the eternity beyond because we take our ease, rath- 
er than bestir ourselves to send them the word of 
eternal life! I have sat on the hotel veranda in the 
sunshine, watching the people. This is a fine part 
of the city, and I suppose the Mussulmans that 
pass this way are "well to do." Many of them 
speak English, and I catch their words of saluta- 
tion: they invariably say "Allah is good " in pass- 
ing, instead of our "Good-morning." If they 
have learned that the Divine Being is good, why 
do they not know by the teaching that "the Lord 
he is the God ? " I wonder at the patience of God. 
He waits for us; we are so slow, and yet he waits. 
If his patience were like his anger — "but for a 
moment" — hov/ could we stand before him? Will 
he keep his patience forever? Let us not trifle 
with his goodness. 

February 6. 

We are in Ismailia, and about to take the steam- 
er through the Suez Canal to Port Said. When 
M. de Lesseps began to talk about this canal, all 
the world laughed. When he set to work, only 



220 Letters from the Orient. 

France believed that it could be done. He fin- 
ished it twenty years ago, at a cost of about a 
hundred million dollars. I suppose from what I 
have read that England saves her hundreds of thou- 
sands by this canal-route to India and Hong-kong. 

February 8. 

We are on the beautiful Mediterranean. The 
waters beneath us and the skies above are blue, so 
that I can scarcely tell where one ends and the 
other begins at the far-off horizon. 

We steamed very slowly through the Suez Ca- 
nal — it is not possible to go fast — and were de- 
layed twelve hours or more at Port Said, which 
gave Mrs. B. and myself time for the shops. We 
saw some pretty wares, but of course not as many 
as in the bazaars at Cairo, where the silks, cash- 
meres, silver, and gold are so tempting. But none 
of them are as beautiful as the blue Mediterranean. 



LETTER XYIII. 

A SHORT STAY IN ROME— THE ANCIENT RUINS AND MODERN 
GRANDEUR OF THE ETERNAL CITY. 

February io, 18S9. 

WE are in Rome, "the cradle and grave of 
empires," "from the very stones of which 
one may grow wise." 

Rome is a study not to be completed in a few 
days. Her treasures cannot be counted in one 
winter, nor her history learned from one writer. 
Yet in one week her attractions so impressed me 
that I am sure another visit would be more profit- 
able and more delightful. I will always remember 
my short stay in Rome as one of the greatest events 
of my life ; the more so that it was a dream I 
hardly expected to realize till the goal was almost 
reached. 

Rome was founded 750 B.C. The Republic 
was established 500 B.C. The Empire arose from 
the ruins of the Republic about 50 B.C. Long 
before, she was mistress of the world ; and for cent- 
uries afterward she retained her greatness. 

The accumulations of decay and dust buried the 
old city ages ago. Excavations were begun more 
than two hundred years ago, and are yet in prog- 

(221) 



222 Letters from the Orient. 

ress; perhaps centuries hence there will still be 
portions of old Rome to be unearthed. As we 
stood in the ruins of the Palace of the Caesars, 
they were still exploring under-ground for the treas- 
ures of the olden time. The mosaic floors, the 
frescoed walls, the rooms and halls of the palaces 
are in sufficient preservation for one to understand 
what manner of buildings the C^sars occupied. I 
believe it is claimed that one of the unearthed ba^ 
silicas is the hall where Paul stood before Nero. 

I cannot describe Saint Peter's. It is the most 
magnificent cathedral of the world, representing 
many millions of money, much of which cost the 
blood of the faithful. It is colossal, being six 
hundred and thirteen and one-half feet long, the 
dome measuring four hundred and forty-eight feet 
in height. Its statues, ornaments, and paintings are 
of huge proportions and great elegance. It is an 
assemblage of sanctuaries, cenotaphs, tombs, paint- 
ings, shrines, and sculpture — all to be seen with 
one sweep of the eye. We rambled from sepul- 
cher to monument, from mosaics to chapels, from 
frescoes to inscriptions to popes and cardinals, till 
we grew weary. Then resting awhile with a con- 
gregation of worshipers, I tried to understand the 
mass that was celebrated before my eyes but not 
within reach of my hearing. 




(223) 



Rome and Her Art Wealth. 223 

The great mosaics of the dome can be clearly- 
seen from the pavement below. The four evan- 
gelists are in reality giants, but from the floor do 
not appear so immense as they are. The text, in 
Latin on gold ground, "Thou art Peter, and upon 
this rock I will build my Church, and to thee will 
I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven," is 
easily read, each letter being six feet long. 

Some of the best work of Michael Angelo, Do- 
menichino, and Canova, besides copies in mosaic 
of many of the renowned paintings of the old mas- 
ters, adorn Saint Peter's. 

In the center of the area in front of the building 
is the celebrated obelisk in red granite, brought to 
Rome from Heliopolis, the Egyptian "City of the 
Sun," almost eighteen hundred years ago. When 
taken to Saint Peter's three hundred years ago, 
it was dedicated to the cross, the ceremony of 
exorcising all pagan associations being first per- 
formed. The age of the obelisk is not certain — it 
may date back to the Pyramids. 

The Vatican, the residence of the Pope, adjoins 
Saint Peter's. We had not the pleasure of an au- 
dience with his Holiness, but we saw the Sistine 
Chapel and Raphael's master-work. I cannot 
write of all in these wonderful collections, for we 
had not time for study. It was impossible in one 



224 Letters from the Orient. 

short day to comprehend the wonderful frescoes 
and paintings of the Vatican. What I understood 
and remember I will mention. 

Michael Angelo's work on the ceiling of the Sis- 
tine Chapel is considered his best. Here are rep- 
resented some of the events of the Book of Gene- 
sis: the creation of the heavens and the earth — 
viz., the creation of light, of the sun and moon; 
the creation of trees, herbs, and grass; the crea- 
tion of Adam and Eve. Next are represented the 
fall and the expulsion from Eden. The tree of 
knowledge, the serpent, Adam and Eve plucking 
the fruit, the angel with the sword — all are there. 
Coming after are pictures in the life of Noah. 

On the curved edges of the ceiling are the 
prophets and sibyls announcing the coming Sav- 
iour of the world, together with here and there a 
little picture of the genealogy of the Vir^n. 

On the wall at the end of the Chapel is Michael 
Angelo's "Last Judgment." In one of the cen- 
ters is seated the judge, surrounded by apostles, 
patriarchs, martyrs, the saints on earth and the 
saints in light. The other half shows the angels 
with the book of life, angels with the awakening 
trumpets, the resurrection, the ascension to the 
realms of the blessed, and hell. 

I will not attempt to mention the frescoes and 



Rome and Her Art Wealth. 225 

paintings of the various corridors. Those by the 
masters are worthy of hours of study. We could 
but glance and pass on. But I must refer to 
Raphael's masterpiece, "The Transfiguration." 
It was his last work, and is the greatest picture of 
the world. To my amateur eye the power of this 
painting is in the face of our Lord — though the 
coloring, especially of the flesh, is very beautiful. 
His face did "shine as the sun." Raphael caught 
a radiant expression — perhaps the highest concep- 
tion of the glorified face ever put on canvas. Mo- 
ses and Elijah are on either side, all in mid-air as 
though about to rise into the heavens while they 
hold converse of what is soon to be accomplished 
at Jerusalem. Peter, James, and John are fallen 
on the ground, sore afraid. 

Beneath them is the child possessed of a devil, 
whom his parents brought to be healed. As in 
the Holy Scriptures the devil was cast out as soon 
as the Saviour came from the Mount of Transfigfu- 
ration, so in this great painting our Lord returned 
from heavenly converse to bear its sorrows and lift 
the suffering into the faith of the Son of God. 

I have looked into your question, as to the rea- 
son for placing these two events on the same can- 
vas, and find in Eaton's "Rome" that it was done 
in compliance with the orders of his patrons. It 
15 



226 Letters from the Orient. 

was the custom of the age to connect in one pict- 
ure celestial and terrestrial subjects — oftentimes 
such as had no association. 

"The Last Communion of Saint Jerome," by 
Domenichino, is considered almost equal to "The 
Transfiguration." The dying saint, carried by his 
disciples, is placed on the porch of the monas- 
tery chapel: his head rests within the arms of a 
young priest, while another administers the sacra- 
ment. His followers are about the aged Jerome, 
while above are the angels sent to convey him to 
heaven. Both of these works are copied in mo- 
saic in Saint Peter's. 

The Church of Saint Pietro in Vincoli holds, 
to use the language of Hare, "the glory of the 
Church" — the famous "Moses" of Michael An- 
gelo. It is the "masterpiece of sculpture since the 
time of the Greeks." I am without language, and 
accordingly will give you the description of Gre- 
gorius: "The figure is seated, with long-flowing 
beard descending to the waist, with horned head, 
and deep-sunk eyes, which blaze as it were with 
the light of the burning bush, with a majesty of 
anger which makes one tremble, as of a passion- 
ate being, drunken with fire. . . . There is some- 
thing infinite which lies in the ' Moses ' of Michael 
Angelo. Nor is his countenance softened by 




(227) 



AECH OF TITUS. 



Rome and Her Art Wealth. 227 

the twilight of sadness which is stealing from his 
forehead over his eyes. It- is less touching than 
terrible. The Greeks could not have endured a 
glance from such as 'Moses,' and the artist would 
have been blamed because he had thrown no soft- 
ening touch over his gigantic marble. That which 
we have is the archetype of a terrible and quite 
unapproachable sublimity." 

The Capitol — with its history, halls, and corri- 
dors — might occupy days. The wonderful bronze 
equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius is spoken of 
by the critics as without fault. The Hall of the 
Emperors, of illustrious men, the figures of the 
gods, the busts and bas-reliefs, and columns and 
statues, the history in marble and fresco, the 
bronzes and picture-gallery, well deserve a full 
description — but I must hasten. 

There are no ruins more full of interest than the 
Roman Forum. It was buried under the rubbish 
of centuries, but the excavations of the last three 
hundred years give inexhaustible occupation to 
the student. Here the destiny of empires was de- 
cided, the Senate sat in solemn assembly, and the 
business of ancient Rome was transacted — here 
was the market-place, and here were held aJl the 
public meetings. "The level of the ancient soil 
was twenty-four feet below that of to-day." The 



228 Letters from the Orient. 

accumulation of each era in Roman history buried 
the buildings of the preceding period, so that the 
excavations of the future will doubtless uncover 
"heaped-up iniins," bringing to the light temples, 
monuments, columns, fountains, corridors, and stat- 
ues. To-day are shown the places where sacrifices 
to the gods were made ; the house of the Vestals 
and the Temple of Vesta, on whose altar was kept 
burning the sacred fire; the chambers where 
many a struggle in the Senate started the Roman 
army to conquest and death ; and arches and col- 
umns erected in honor of heroes returning from 
victory. The Arch of Titus erected by the Senate 
in commemoration of his capture of Jerusalem, a 
few years after the life of Christ on earth, must 
have been a magnificent monument. The bas- 
relief of the seven-branched candlestick from the 
temple at Jerusalem is still very distinct. 

The Colosseum is the most imposing of the 
Roman ruins. It was the great amphitheater in 
whose arena the gladiatorial combats took place, 
and also where prisoners of war, the slaves of 
Roman conquest, and Christian martyrs were giv- 
en to the wild beasts. The Colosseum was begun 
A.D. 72, and finished by Titus after his success- 
ful siege of Jerusalem. He compelled twelve thou- 
sand captive Jews to complete the building. It 




(229) 



Rome and Her Art Wealth. 229 

was capable of holding one hundred thousand 
. people. 

We will leave Rome to-night. I have had but a 
glance, and consequently could only write this short 
letter. Every thing has been in our favor, and 
we have not lost an hour. I will not forget the 
"Eternal City." But I am traveling to another 
— the city of my God, the city that hath founda- 
tions, the New Jerusalem, the Eternal City ! Here 
I am "a stranger, a sojourner; " there I shall be 
at home. 



LETTER XIX. 

FROM ROME TO PARIS— SPLENDORS AND MISERIES OF THE 
FRENCH CAPITAL. 

Paris, February i8, 1889. 

UNTIL we came to Brindisi, the weather was 
all that we could have desired. The sharp, 
chill air in which we left Shanghai soon softened 
into clear, mellow sunshine, and by the time we 
came to Hong-kong the threat of winter had passed 
and left anticipations of tropical weather. Warmer 
and brighter grew the days as we sailed on through 
the southern seas, until at Singapore we began to 
realize that the equator was not far distant. Then 
beneath cloudless skies and glaring sun we sailed 
slowly on to Ceylon. From there to Calcutta the 
heat was in some measure moderated ; and in North- 
ern India the nights were cool, and at times a fire 
was comforting. Temperature in the Red Sea, 
pleasant; and across the Mediterranean, delightful. 
At Brindisi we begin a new phase of experience 
more like home. Rain and chill to Naples, with a 
short break in the gray monotony of the clouds as 
we passed along the edge of the bay, just before 
coming to the city, and enough sunlight to give us 
one of the most perfect rainbows I ever saw. It 
(230) 



A Fair View of Paris. 231 

was a complete semicircle, one end dipping into 
the waters of the bay, the other touching the sides 
of the hills to the north of us. The colors were 
pronounced and distinct, a gorgeous display. Cold 
and cloudy with occasional rains in Rome. The 
night we left the "Eternal City" came with a chill, 
damp atmosphere which turned into snow as we ran 
up to the mountains. How bitterly cold it was ! 
The poor excuse for heating apparatus — cylinders 
of hot water on the floor exchanged once in three, 
four, five hours — with which the cars were fur- 
nished soon failed us. Fortunately, I had pur- 
chased in Rome a pair of fur-lined overshoes that 
kept my feet comfortable ; but my rugs and cloth- 
ing were altogether insufficient in that icy air of 
the mountains. I was chilled through. After 
shivering through half the night, your father called 
me to him, and uniting our wraps we sat closely 
side by side, and thus managed to lessen the dis- 
comfort. Reaching Paris in the early morning, 
the first thing we called for was fire, and I sup- 
pose travelers in a southern clime rarely enjoyed 
the sight of the flames more than we did. 

It has been variable weather since we have been 
in Paris, but we have not been hindered by it in 
any great measure. 

We have had a fair view of the city. We have 



2B2 Letters from the Orient. 

strolled along its boulevards and through its parks, 
have visited its churches and museums, and have 
looked into its stores. After seeing so much I do 
not wonder that it is attractive to visitors from every 
part of the world. It appeals to every taste and 
makes ample provision for every side of our nat- 
ure except the spiritual. 

The reign of Louis Napoleon was chiefly re- 
markable for its enormous expenditures in build- 
ings and adornments. Boulevards were opened; 
architectural splendors, statuary, and street decora- 
'tions sated the eye, while they made factitious pro- 
vision for the working classes. An era of unex- 
ampled wealth and culture was promised, Bis- 
marck and Von Moltke and Sedan broke the 
promise, and left a disappointed, hungry, angry 
crowd to wreak a fruitless vengeance upon the 
memorials of an ostentatious empire, which had 
mocked and cheated them. The reign of com- 
munism was happily brief — too brief for the con- 
summation of the plans of its blind rage. 

I suppose that those who knew Paris in the time 
of the last Napoleon will still recognize the plans 
and work of that period of gilded prosperity. The 
beauty of the city has not been destroyed. The 
Tuileries is a ruin, but the boulevards remain; 
the Place de la Concorde still offers its obelisk, 



A Fair View of Paris. 233 

fountains, statues, and fine views along shady ave- 
nues; the Champs Elysees is still a dehghtful 
promenade, the favorite walk of the Parisian 
world. It is difficult to connect the tragic events 
of the Revolution with so bright and charming a 
scene, but here in the Place de la Concorde the 
scaffold of the Reign of Terror was set, and nearly 
three thousand people fell under the hand of the 
executioner. Louis XVI. was among the first of 
them. 

To one side of the Champs Elysees is the Palais 
d' Industrie — an extensive building, with but little 
beauty — erected for the Great Exhibition of 1855, 
and since used for the annual display of painting 
and sculpture. On the other side of the river, 
reached by a bridge from the Champs Elysees, are 
the Exposition Grounds with unfinished buildings. 
We walked through them and saw the extensive 
preparation for the coming gathering in May. We 
looked at the Eiffel Tower, one thousand feet 
high, and I wished that I could have the view from 
the summit. Turning back to the city, we came to 
the Church of the Madeleine. N. has seen it, 
and knows its classic structure. It is surprising 
to our plain American mind that one church should 
show such lavish expenditure of art and wealth in 
its adornment. We were there again on Sunday 



234 Letters from the Orient. 

in the middle of the day, and found a multitude of 
people attending the service. We missed the mu- 
sic, but the ritual and preaching were calculated 
to impress the popular mind. 

The finest church in Paris — the old historic 
church — is Notre Dame. The present building, 
upon the site of what was probably a pagan temple, 
dates back to 1163. It has passed through many 
changes — was restored after 1845, and again nar- 
rowly escaped destruction under the Commune in 
1870. It is a magnificent specimen of Gothic 
architecture, dimly lighted within through superb 
stained glass, decorated with frescoes, statuary, 
carving, and tapestries, and possessing still many 
"treasures" in the shape of relics which escaped 
the fury of the mob. Napoleon I. and Josephine 
Were crowned here with a splendor of ceremony 
that cost about seventeen million dollars ; and here 
in 1853 Napoleon III. was married to Comtesse 
Eugenie de Teba. 

It is more than we can undertake to look up the 
churches of Paris, though many are of sufficient 
interest to justify a visit. Our time is too short. 
We cannot go into details. The Louvre occupied 
us some hours. It was first a fortress, then a 
prison, afterward a palace, now a museum. The 
fortress was built in 1200 A.D. ; the palace had its 



A Fair View of Paris. 235 

beginning in 1541, and its completion, in connec- 
tion with the Tuileries, under the third Napoleon 
in 1857. The collection of pictures began in the 
time of Francis I. The great Napoleon rifled the 
galleries and palaces of Italy, and brought in such 
an enormous mass of works of art that even the 
immense galleries of the Louvre could not con- 
tain them. The most of these were restored to 
their rightful owners in 1815. The bulk of the 
present collection has been acquired by legitimate 
methods. It is a wonderful array. Ancient and 
modern drawings, engravings, paintings, sculpt- 
ure of every nation and every school ; antiquities — 
Assyrian, Egyptian, Etruscan, and Greek; scien- 
tific museums, specimens from every quarter of 
the globe, in salons and corridors of ground floor 
and upper stories of the main building and wings, 
bewilder by their number and extent of space. 
Among the Egyptian remains I saw a sphinx, the 
hieroglyphics on which tell of Menephtah, the 
Pharaoh of the exodus. 

Not far from the Louvre is the Magasins de 
Louvre, which is one of the two great resorts of 
shoppers in Paris — the Bon Marche being the oth- 
er. They are immense store-houses of goods of 
all sorts, sold at retail prices. They are mar\'^els 
of order and cheapness. I found a more attractive 



236 Lette?-s from the Oi'ient. 

place in Rue Madeleine, where a glib, English- 
speaking salesman beguiled me into a larger out- 
lay than I had purposed, and was trustful enough 
to take your father's check on a Baltimore bank 
for the payment of the bill. 

Time would fail me to tell of the superb build- 
ings — such as the Grand Hotel, the Hotel Louvre, 
the Grand Opera-house — the stores with their tak- 
ing display of goods of every sort, the cafes, and 
of the boulevards, the monuments — the innumer- 
able appeals to the senses in which Paris abounds. 
A rich city, beautiful, gay, frivolous, godless, rest- 
less, welcoming alike a festival or a revolution, 
holding large resources for any possibilities of 
good and evil. It has more than once been be- 
sieged and captured, and it may yet again fall into 
the hands of a foreign foe. The powers of attack 
and defense are singularly balanced in these days 
of dynamite. "Except the Lord keep the city, 
the watchman waketh but in vain." There is not 
much confidence in the ' ' Rock of our strength ' ' 
in the careless, prayerless, pleasure-loving capital. 
Yet there are to be found true and good men and 
women who are striving faithfully to inculcate the 
knowledge of God and gather to him a peculiar 
people. Protestantism has established itself here, 
and is "holding forth the word of life," the anti- 



A Fair View of Paris. 237 

dote to Romanism and infidelity. The Wesleyan 
Church and the McAll Mission have estabhshed 
posts in various parts of the city. They are not 
laboring in vain. We, v^^ho know the povv^er of 
the gospel, have good hope that in years to come 
Paris even may become a stronghold of the Son 
of God. 

I had some amusing experiences resulting from 
my ignorance of the language. I had a slight 
knowledge of French as taught in the schools of 
my day; but when it became necessary to make 
use of my attainments I was not long in discover- 
ing, what I had before suspected, that it was not 
current here. The artiste whom I consulted about 
a new costume is a true Parisian from the tip of 
her toes to the tip of her tongue. She knew noth- 
ing else. Not a word of English could she speak. 
We met each other with graceful salaams and the 
conventional ^^ Bon jour J'"' Then the serious busi- 
ness began. I talked and she listened. Then she 
talked and I listened. Then we both smiled aloud. 
We tried it again with no better success. Her 
French was not my French, nor was my French 
her French; nor could either be translated into 
the other. We tried pantomime. That went a lit- 
tle way, but not far enough. Finally she sent for 
a neighbor, an American dentist, resident in Paris 



238 Letters from the Orient. 

for twenty years, who good-naturedly served us as 
interpreter. Through him we discussed, for an 
hour, quantity, quality, styles, prices, and all the 
other details, and were mutually gratified that we 
had conducted our business to such favorable 
results . ' ' Tres Jolt, " said madam ; ' ' Tres Jolt, ' ' 
replied I. "/'«r/««Vem^/z^," she concluded; '■^Par- 
faitement,''' answered I. And our agreement was 
completed. 

JBon soir, my dears. 




(239) 



LETTER. XX. 

ACROSS THE CHANNEL— TAKING IN THE WONDERS OF 
LONDON, THE WORLD'S GREATEST CITY. 

London, February 22, 1889. 

FROM Calais to Dover I expected to be sea- 
sick, because so few persons escape in that 
chopping sea: however, I was free, and could have 
enjoyed it very much but for the extreme cold. 

We arrived in London at the Charing Cross Sta- 
tion late in the day. Hare says the name Charing 
comes from a Saxon word meaning to turn, both 
the road and the Thames making a bend at this 
point. There is frequently a history connected 
with London names which interests me greatly. 
Six hundred years ago this spot was one of the 
nine resting-places of the funeral cortege of Queen 
Eleanor, the beloved wife of Edward L A de- 
voted love existed between husband and wife. 
After her burial in Westminster Abbey, he erected 
at each of these stations a cross, that at Charing 
being the most imposing — hence the name Char- 
inor Cross. But three of the crosses remain. That 
at this place was destroyed by the Puritans, a poem 
of that day showing the hatred of the sect toward 
all images. As the destruction occurred during 

(239) 



240 Letters from the Orient. 

the Commonwealth, I suppose their hatred of the 
crown and throne entered into the act. A substi- 
tute has been erected which every traveler sees on 
arriving at the station. 

From here, parallel with the Thames, is the 
Strand, the great thoroughfare, a highway crowd- 
ed with people and business. I have seen it stated 
that a million of people daily throng this street. 
Farther up (or down?) in the city was Temple 
Bar, which from 1300 to 1878 marked the city 
bounds. Here were kept on exhibition the heads 
of those who were executed for alleged treason. 
A pillar now marks the Bar. Near by are the 
Inns of Court, which have been for hundreds of 
years the " sanctum" of the law and lawyers. 

As the Strand is the high-road of London, so 
Pall-mall is the fashionable street, where one may 
see the people of leisure, perhaps of rank; and 
Hyde Park is the recreation-ground for the city. 
Yesterday, when we drove there, it was green and 
beautiful as though in the midst of April showers 
and sunshine. The Memorial to the Prince Con- 
sort represents the British Dominions, on which 
the sun never sets — a contrast to this costly monu- 
ment upon which the sun seldom shines, London 
fogs mostly intervening. Thousands of pounds 
were spent upon it. Prince Albert is seated under 




(241) 



The Wonders of London. 241 

a richly decorated^ gaudy canopy, which rests on 
a marble base, the whole upon a platform of gran- 
ite. The sides are adorned with sculptured figures 
of the leading sages and literati of the ages. At 
the corners of the platform stand the men, ani- 
mals, and plants, in marble, of the four continents. 
It is a costly memorial, though its good taste is 
questioned — certainly the Prince has a better re- 
membrancer in the hearts of the English people. 

The Cathedral of Saint Paul's is in the heart of 
London. Centuries ago kings, queens, Canons, 
bishops, the learned and great, worshiped within 
its walls. Five times Saint Paul has been burned, 
three times by lightning. Sir Christopher Wren 
was the architect of the present building. Over 
one of the porticos is the figure of a phenix, in 
order to perpetuate the memory of a curious fact. 
When Sir Christopher had drawn his plans and 
was ready to commence work on the new build- 
ing, he sent a workman for a stone from the rub- 
bish of the old structure to mark the center of the 
dome. On the stone brought him was inscribed 
the single word Resurgam — "I shall rise again." 
So from the ashes of the dead past have come up 
the grand proportions of the present stately build- 
ing, hardly second to Westminster Abbey in the 
affection and pride of the English people. 
16 



242 Letters from the Orient. 

The great cathedral is no fit subject for my pen. 
Its dimensions are less than those of Saint Peter's 
at Rome, nor can it rival the church of the Eternal 
City in the wealth of its monuments and splendors. 
But standing in the heart of grimy London, black- 
ened by the smoke and fog of the world's greatest 
city, enriched with the dust and the memorials of 
the illustrious dead of the imperial race, which has 
planted itself the world over, it is a perpetual re- 
minder of God and his providence, and awes into 
solemnity the busy, bustling throngs that pass un- 
der its shadow. 

The earliest monuments in the present cathedral 
are those of Howard, the philanthropist; Johnson, 
the literary autocrat of his time ; Sir Joshua Rey- 
nolds, the painter; and Sir William Jones, the 
Oriental scholar and statesman. Later, come the 
splendid monuments to Lord Nelson, who was 
buried here in spite of his memorable cry, "Vic- 
tory or Westminster Abbey;" and to Arthur, 
Duke of Wellington ; and later still that of the 
Christian hero and soldier who died at Khartoum, 
but will be known in the years to come, as in the 
past, by the name of "Chinese Gordon." The 
building stands on an elevated level almost facing 
Ludgate Hill, with the narrow streets of Saint 
Paul's church-yard running around it, and in front 




(243) 



The Wonders of London, 243 

a statue of Queen Anne, who made nere her 
thanksgivings for Marlborough's victory. 

But Westminster Abbey is the receptacle of the 
memorials of England's greatness. It would take a 
volume to register the names of the dead who on 
native or foreign soil have wrought themselves into 
the history of their country. They were laid to rest 
eight, six, five, one hundred years ago, and have 
slept through the centuries, while the world has 
been busy with those who came after, who in turn 
have taken their places among the shadows. The 
very inscriptions upon the tombs tell the history of 
England, and one familiar with its pages could 
well fill days with the study of Westminster. 

The first building on this site was dedicated 
early in the seventh century. An historian whom 
Hare quotes tells that on a Sunday night, the eve 
of the day that this church was to be consecrated, 
a fisherman was watching his nets near by. On 
the opposite shore he saw a light, and going over 
found an old man who asked to be ferried across. 
Upon their arrival the stranger went at once to the 
church, causing two springs to rise up on the way 
by a blow of his staff. A host of angels appeared, 
some having candles in their hands which lighted 
him while he performed the service of dedication, 
others ascending and descending as in Jacob's 



244 Letters from the Orient. 

vision. While the fisherman ferried the. old man 
back, he was charged to tell the bishop of this 
consecration, and was promised a continual boun- 
tiful supply of fish if he would always give a tithe 
to the new Westminster. The bishop did not 
doubt the story, for were not the chrism, the marks 
of the cross on the door, and the droppings from 
the candle all there? 

That building was afterward torn down— ^and 
from time to time changes were made, till but lit- 
tle is left of the Abbey which was finished in 1272. 
A portion remains — viz., the side aisles and their 
chapels, and the choir and transepts. Of course 
I could not know Westminster in two visits, but I 
would not lose the picture from my thoughts. 
The beauty of the architecture, the choir, the 
chapels where lie the dead, the monuments which 
crowd the transepts and nave, and the cloisters, 
live in my memory, while the inscriptions and 
names I have forgotten. If I should have the 
pleasure of another visit, I will study details, and 
with my own hand write you what at present you 
must read in the books. This much I say: The 
marble and the words dedicated to kings, poets, 
historians — the men who have ruled, lived, and 
died for England; the men who have built up its 
fortunes, and shaped its religious beliefs, and or- 



■■ipaiHHiHBa 



1^ 




(245) 



The Wonders of London. 24/) 

dered its destinies — have inspired in me the most 
solemn reflections, and I pray that my name may 
be kept in the "Lamb's Book of Life." 

It was something of a surprise to find in this 
highest expression of loyahy to regal rule the 
tomb of some members of Cromwell's family. Of 
two other things I will make special mention. 
One is the Coronation Chair, on which every 
ruler of Great Britain since Edward L has been 
crowned — a period of six hundred years. The 
legend of the stone seat is quite thrilling. It is a 
chronicle coming down from patriarchal days. 
To make a long story short, it was the pillow upon 
which Jacob slept when he had the vision of the 
angels on the ladder that reached to heaven. He 
took it to Egypt when he went down to Joseph, 
and for many years it was preserved among the 
Hebrews. Unfortunately the story is disjointed, 
and I do not find why the precious relic was al- 
lowed ,to pass from Israel's possession. After 
many vicissitudes it was miraculously conveyed 
aboard a boat bound for Ireland, where, som.e of 
the antiquaries maintain, it remains. Others of 
the wise trace its transit to Scotland, where the 
first Edward was crowned upon it. It was brought 
to England in 1296, and can be seen in Westmin- 
ster any day. 



246 Letters from the Orient. 

The monument to John and Charles Wesley at- 
tracts the attention of all Methodist tourists. It 
was unveiled in 1876 by the Very Rev. Dr. Stan- 
ley, Dean of Westminster. The upper part of the 
tablet records the dates of birth and death of the 
two brothers. Under that are their medalKon pro- 
files, life size, under which are the words, "The 
best of all is, God is with us." Below that, John 
Wesley stands upon his father's grave preaching 
— his own and the fifty figures representing his 
hearers are boldly defined. Wesley clad in a 
gown and bands, one hand clasping his Bible, the 
other uplifted, is a beautiful design. Under this pul- 
pit in Epworth grave-yard is inscribed the words, 
"I look on all the world as my parish; " and un- 
der that, "God buries his workmen, but carries 
on his work." It is an exquisite piece of marble. 

The Tower, the great English fortress, dates far 
back. For some hundreds of years the kings re- 
sided there during a part of the year, and within 
its walls rulers were born, lived, and died. Mon- 
archs have languished in its prisons ; princes have 
there been murdered; cardinals, archbishops, 
lords, ladies, and commoners were there confined 
and executed. 

The Beauchamp Tower, where so many illus- 
trious prisoners were incarcerated, was interesting 




(247) 



The Wonders of London. 247 

to us because the walls bear to this day many in- 
scriptions from their own hands ; some indicating 
suffering, others trust in God. Near this tower, 
in the court inclosed by the fortress, is a large 
stone, which marks the spot of the many execu- 
tions; where the beautiful Anne Boleyn and the 
youthful Queen Catharine Howard — both wives 
of that brute, Henry VIII. — lost their lives; and 
where also the lovely Lady Jane Grey, "the queen 
of nine days," came to her death. 

Of course the Jewel Tower was not omitted. 
The crown jewels, the state crowns, the royal 
plate, the silver font used at the baptisms of the 
royal children, the badges of authority, the gold- 
en eagle which holds the consecrated oil of the 
coronations, and other valuable articles, make a 
magnificent show. Three million pounds sterling 
are there represented. Another tower is occupied 
by the fine collection of historic armor, which is 
more enjoyed in the seeing than in the reading. 

The entire world is represented in the British 
Museum. Such a collection I never saw, though 
in our journeying we have seen a great deal there 
exhibited. Antiquarians find a paradise within 
those four walls, and amateur as I am I should 
have found great enjoyment in a week's tour of 
the halls. The oldest cuneiform inscriptions have 



248 Letters from the Orient. 

been stored in the British Museum — some from 
Assyria, from Babylon, from Chaldea; some 
reaching back to Adam's time. It is said that 
there is one proved to be anterior to Adam's day, 
which we searched for, but failed to find. The 
Roman Gallery, the Mausoleum Room, the Hel- 
lenic Room, are all of great value. Of more inter- 
est to me were the specimens of the earliest print- 
ing and illustrations of the illuminated texts of the 
monks of long ago ; and in the Manuscript Saloon, 
the prayer-book used by Lady Jane Grey on the 
scaffold, the draft of the will of Mary, Queen of 
Scots, and the agreement signed by Milton for the 
sale of "Paradise Lost" — an Eden of antiquities! 
Being Methodists, of course we went to City 
Road Chapel, which is of historic interest in our 
annals. John Wesley, our revered founder, lies 
buried in this church-yard, beneath a monument 
in stone; besides, within the communion-rails of 
the chapel is a marble tablet to his memory. On 
the opposite side of the road is the cemetery of 
Bunhill Fields, where are buried John Bunyan, 
Susanna Wesley, Dr. Isaac Watts, three sons of 
Oliver Cromwell (one of whom w^as successor to 
his father for a few da3^s), and Daniel De Foe, 
author of "Robinson Crusoe: " these monuments 
only, of the many in the cemetery, will interest you. 




{2iO) 



The Wonders of London. 249 

I plucked a few blades of grass as memorials of 
these names. We could but pronounce ludicrous 
the following inscription on the stone of Dame 
Mary Page, who "in 67 months was tapped 66 
times, and had taken away 240 gallons of water, 
without ever repining at her case, or ever fearing 
the operation." I copied it on the spot, and send 
it to you word for word. 

We found the Dore Gallery worth the time we 
gave it. The " Christ Leaving the Pretorium " is 
considered a marvelous picture. The beauty of 
the face is celestial. He walks down the steep 
stair-way with gentle and majestic mien, knowing 
that the cross is before him. Pontius Pilate and 
Herod, in robes of state, are in the background; 
near by are the high-priests Annas and Caiaphas. 
In front is the mob with lifted hands and open 
mouths, as though crying aloud, "Crucify him! 
Crucify him ! " Mary, the mother of Jesus, with 
tearful eye, and the Magdalene are not far off. 
Dore studied the evangehsts, and besides must 
have learned the meaning of every word that Isaiah 
wrote of redemption's story. "He is despised 
and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and 
acquainted with grief. He was wounded for our 
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: 
the chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and 



250 JLeiters from the Orient. 

with his stripes we are healed." "Who for the 
joy that was set before him endured the cross, de- 
spising the shame." 

The "Vale of Tears," Dore's last work, was 
in another room. In my mind the two pictures 
are connected. The horror was borne to save a 
world. The cross and the shame were not to be 
compared with the "joy that was set before him." 
Jesus trod " the wine-press alone;" "in all their 
afflictions he was afflicted: in his love and in his 
pity he redeemed them." Now, in the Vale of 
Tears, he bears in his heart all them who turn to 
him. To every soul he speaks: "Come unto me, 
all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will 
give you rest." These words Dore illustrates on 
canvas. At the entrance to the Vale of Tears 
stands the Saviour, bearing a cross — the cross on 
which he was lifted that he might draw all men 
unto himself — the cross that was to raise earth to 
heaven. Above him, stretching from horizon to 
horizon, is the bow, the "token of the covenant." 
With upraised hand he beckons "the weary and 
heavy-laden." And there they are, some lifting 
their heavy eyes to him, and some turning still to 
earth, whence came their sorrow. There they 
stand — king, priest, warrior, the old and young, 
rich and poor, prince and beggar — all alike need- 



The Wonders of London. 251 

ing him. The dying mother lifts her helpless babe 
toward those loving arms, the deaf hear his voice, 
the blind eyes behold him, and the outcast leper 
finds One who will not shrink from his touch. 
These pictures produce the same effect as Charles 
Wesley's hymns. 



LETTER XXI. 

END OF THE JOURNEY— FROM LIVERPOOL TO NEW YORK. 
Liverpool, February 27, 1889. 

WE are now, my dear daughters, at the last 
stage of our long journey. One more step 
— you will think it is a long one — and we shall land 
in New York. Dark-looking Liverpool is even 
more somber in this pouring rain. I can see but 
little of it. But have I not seen enough? The 
eye is filled with seeing. I wonder, as I look back 
over the way by which we have come. From the 
farthest point eastward, where sunrise and sunset 
are confounded in the common thought, to this ex- 
treme western edge of the Old World, we have come 
in safety and comfort. The facilities of travel are 
enough to excite admiration ; but better even than 
the well-appointed steamers and railways are the 
courtesies and kindly attentions which have never 
failed us on the way. The white races have fur- 
nished our almost constant companions by sea and 
land; but even when dependent upon the yellow 
and brown peoples of the East, we have wanted 
nothing. It is true the multitude of them have had 
their thoughts on the backsheesh to be won from 
the strangers; but even so, their manners have 
(252) 



End of the yo^irney. 253 

been such as to make it easy to part with a few 
cash, pice, or piasters in return for their active 
service. All the world over there are many whose 
courtesies can only be had when it pays. 

But above all else comes the feeling of grati- 
tude at the remembrance that through all these 
lands and all these peoples I have seen the foot- 
steps of the Redeemer. The Son of God has made 
homes for himself wherever we have gone. What 
wealth of promise there is in this for the years to 
come! I am nearing the end of my pilgrimage, 
and may not see the ingathering of the nations; 
but you and the generation to which you belong 
may yet be gladdened with the vision of a regen- 
erated world. It will not be long till the fires 
kindled in the East shall blaze in every neighbor- 
hood and every home, and the light that now ir- 
radiates our own shores shall flash into the jungles 
and deserts of the South and East, and bless all 
them that sit in the region and shadow of death. 
To this I give my daily prayers. For this I make 
appeal to the faith, prayer, and generosity of our 
home Church. By our zeal and self-sacrifice let 
us give meaning and constrain answer to our im- 
portunate prayer, "Thy kingdom come." 

Good-by. The next salutation shall be from 
my lips, not from my pen. Your Mother. 



686 



















.- .V 



.'^ -^ ^% 



6^^ 






' „ . ^ 






,;* 



■%<^"^ 












'> 









-'^"^'.v.^^' 






* 8 1 ^° 



'/. ' 8 1 



% ^^ 



:'><^ 



^. 



^ "^ v^ 



^'^/^s^;? 



A - ' 



* -^^ 









,0- 



^V«^X-.V^.. 



i-/. * ., , A* \^ 



o°\o 












'^i.'* 



M O.V 



o\' . ^ * " 



•,^^ "^^ 



% '^'^ 



^AV^^ 



v?-?^- 



,-% -/^ 



0> T, ^ «■ 









,0- 






.,^:^ -^^ V 



-^r .^^~ 






."^ 



?/-_'' 






x^ ^'t.. 



,0o 



/^ .^^ 



